


Shadowfall

by HollowMashiro



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, ポケモンＸＤ 闇の旋風ダーク・ルギア | Pokémon XD Yami no Kaze Dark Lugia | Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
Genre: Gen, Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-15 13:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 55,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7223509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowMashiro/pseuds/HollowMashiro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years of peace have passed in Orre after the first Shadow Incident. However, Cipher, assumed defunct, regains its power and returns to attack Orre again. The original Snagger is nowhere to be found, so someone must adopt his job to save the region. And so the responsibility falls into the lap of a young boy named Michael... Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness novelization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A magnificent sunset cast its orange and red light over the sparkling waters of the vast sea, illuminating the floating gigantic structure in its waters. The white cargo ship chugged steadily along, headed to a far-off port. As the sun dipped beneath the deep waters of the ocean, its rays caught the name of the ship for a brief instant: S.S. Libra.  
  
Within the wheelhouse of the ship, the captain and navigator stood side by side, the navigator with his hands firmly on the wheel. The two enjoyed a comfortable silence. The seas were calm, the skies were clear, and the cargo wasn’t giving anyone too many problems.  
  
All of a sudden, the buzzing of helicopters cut through the silence, flanking the Libra. The sailors’ confused gazes followed one helicopter as it darted above the deck. Why were these helicopters all the way out in the middle of nowhere?  
  
The captain and navigator rushed out of the wheelhouse in case one of the helicopters felt the need to communicate. The captain wondered about the helicopters’ appearance – the course of the Libra had been carefully charted in order to keep the precious contents onboard safe, and authorities had been warned ahead of time of the Libra’s departure. Surely they hadn’t accidentally cut into restricted waters?  
The notion that the incident had anything to do with the authorities was instantly dispelled as a gigantic shadow was cast over the deck. The two seamen looked up in astonishment as an enormous purple creature hovered above the deck, roaring. The closest Pokémon it could be described as would be Lugia, except that Lugia weren’t purplish-black.  
  
Unnoticed by the sailors, one of the helicopter’s pilots grinned as the Pokéball-shaped device covering her left eye shone red. The creature’s eyes glowed with the same eerie color as it received orders before roaring again. The creature shot a bright beam of energy at the deck, connecting it to the ship. The cargo freighter glowed with an unearthly radiance as it was lifted out of the water. It rocked side-to-side uncertainly, causing the sailors still gaping at the creature to lose their footing and be tipped overboard into the waters below. The creature screeched once more as it flapped its wings, heading toward the distant shore and taking the cargo ship with it.  
  
The captain and navigator shared a fearful look as the light from the stolen cargo ship grew fainter. They were immensely worried for the sailors still onboard, for the precious cargo, and for themselves, for they were miles from shore with no help coming anytime soon.  
  
After the radiance from the ship had completely faded away, the captain said, “There’s no way that the Libra’s disappearance is going to go unnoticed. We’ve got to go tell the authorities what we saw.”  
“Yeah, if we don’t end up drowning first,” the navigator said faintly, still reeling.  
  
“True… but I’m more worried about those still on board…”


	2. Chapter 1

Within the hold of a giant rock hand, crowds cheered as two large Pokémon faced off against each other: a Salamence and a Metagross. The Salamence hovered in the air, circling the Metagross menacingly, while the steel-type watched its opponent warily from the ground. Neither made a move to attack the other. One of their Trainers was a red-haired teenager of fourteen wearing a green shirt, a light gray vest, and jeans, while the other was a man clad in blue.

“Salamence! Use Earthquake!” the boy yelled, breaking the stalemate. The dragon-type Pokémon instantly responded, slamming itself to the ground to create tremors that shook the stadium and sent shards of rock flying upward.

“Levitate, Metagross!” the man called. The Metagross pulled its legs up and hovered above the ground with its magnetic abilities, which allowed it to avoid the worst of the quake, though some of the displaced rock still hit and damaged its metallic skin. The boy gritted his teeth in frustration; had the attack truly connected, it would have dealt major damage to the opposing Pokémon.

“Follow up with Sludge Bomb, Metagross!”

“Dodge it; fly!” The Salamence took to the air again to increase its chance of evasion, circling high above the Metagross’s head in dizzying, confusing patterns. The Metagross followed it into the sky with its powerful magnetic abilities, trying, but failing, to keep up with the agile Dragon Pokémon. Purplish sludge built up in its mouth, and when it calculated the chances were best to hit its opponent, it fired. The Salamence instantly rose in altitude, but it wasn’t fast enough. The Sludge Bomb exploded in the center of its chest, painting a good portion of its azure and crimson scales a dark purple and causing it to roar in pain at the force of the impact.

The boy winced; his opponent had gained the upper hand, and it wouldn’t be easy to turn the battle around. At least the Salamence hadn’t been poisoned. “Metagross may be powerful, but it’s not too agile! Outmaneuver it; frustrate it!!” he called, hoping to salvage the battle. The Salamence shook off the remaining effects of the bulls-eye Sludge Bomb it endured and wheeled away from the floating Metagross, circling it in erratic patterns.

“Follow it and keep using Sludge Bomb!” the opposing Trainer responded. The Metagross pursued the Salamence and shot more batches of sludge at it, but the speed its magnetism provided was no match for the speed of the Dragon Pokémon. The boy grinned as the Salamence dodged the attacks and goaded the Metagross into following its movements aggressively.

“Now dive!!” the boy commanded. The Salamence shot toward the ground, the Metagross following it in a plummet. At the last possible second, the Salamence pulled out of the dive, its wings straining to keep it from plowing headfirst into the ground. The Salamence barely got out of the way in time before the heavy Metagross slammed into the ground, unable to generate a magnetic field strong enough to negate the massive amount of force its accelerated fall had generated.

“Use Earthquake again while it’s in the ground!” the boy quickly commanded, taking advantage of the opening during the time it would take for the Metagross to recover from the impact and work itself free from the ground, as it had buried itself a few feet deep.

“Get out of there, now!!” Metagross’s Trainer yelled; it would be disastrous if the super-effective Ground-type move impacted, especially after the Metagross had already sustained damage from its collision with the ground and the debris from the first Earthquake.

The Metagross was fast, but the Salamence was faster. In the few seconds while orders had been issued, it had retreated to a great enough altitude that it was able to instantly slam into the ground hard enough to create an Earthquake. The Metagross, unable to propel itself from the crater in time, took the full force of the super-effective attack. The ground caved beneath its enormous weight, and it sunk further into the ground. Debris pelted its metallic hide from above, partially obscuring its form in rubble.

The Metagross struggled for a few seconds afterwards, but its energy had been drained by the Salamence’s attacks, and it was unable to create a magnetic field of enough force to extract itself from the crater. It collapsed, unconscious. Its Trainer wordlessly called back the Pokémon, and he fell to his knees in defeat.

“All right, Michael. This will do for today!” Michael, the boy, felt like he was falling – a familiar side-effect of returning to reality from a simulation – and the stadium and the opposing Trainer faded away to be replaced by a lab room filled with computers and wires. He stood in a sim machine, and wires were connected to his body.

“Yes, sir! That was a well-played battle! Michael, your battle skills have improved by an amazing amount. I mean, it was impressive the way you handled that big Pokémon with aplomb. You took command of it as if it were the same as your Eevee. Don’t you think it’s time that you consider raising other Pokémon besides your Eevee, Apollo?” the technician, Tuncer, chattered as he deftly removed the wires. Michael winced as they were detached, as the adhesive used to keep the wires attached to him made their removal painful. It was akin to having several small band-aids ripped off.

“Thanks for the ego boost, but I’d really rather just stick with Apollo for now,” Michael replied, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly—a habit of his when he was embarrassed.

“Whatever floats your boat,” Tuncer shrugged while annotating a recording of the battle for Michael’s tutor to review. Years earlier, it had become clear that teaching Michael in a conventional classroom with other children was a bad idea. A workable solution to Michael’s schooling was devised: he was tutored in everything from math to Pokémon battle strategies by some of the personnel at the HQ Lab (the only official existing Pokémon lab in the Orre region and where he lived with his mother and sister), and the sim machine was used for practical assessments of Michael’s skill with Pokémon. Today, Michael had to stay in the sim until he’d completed a pre-set number of battles of various difficulties, and he was free once he’d completed all of the battles. The battle with the Metagross had been his last one, so he left the sim room. There was no need to stay there any more, after all.

Michael jogged across the hallway of the lab and entered an office with a bookshelf overflowing with books and a desk covered in paper. It was a shortcut from the sim room to his bedroom in the lab. The lab itself was made of two buildings – the residential/office building and the building that held the actual laboratories – and this particular office was connected to one of the offices in the residential building. Michael took advantage of this to avoid the winding path he’d have to take to get to the residential wing otherwise.

Normally, this office was empty, its owner downstairs working on some pet project of his, but, to Michael’s irritation (as he technically wasn’t allowed within this office without good reason after he’d unintentionally destroyed some important research notes with coffee), this time two scientists were present, chatting.

“Hi, Michael,” a brunette middle-aged man clad in business casual and sporting a lab coat greeted. “Have you finished training?”

The other scientist, a brunette, green-eyed woman also wearing business casual under a pink overcoat, gave Michael no chance to respond. “Michael, this is the director’s office. Did you want to pay a visit to Professor Krane?”

Krane, the director of the Lab, laughed. “You don’t need to be _that_ stiffly official, Lily!”

“But—”

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard your Pokémon battle tutor singing high praises about your battling skills, Michael. That’s outstanding! I sure don’t think I’d stand much of a chance against you.” Krane laughed again at the pleased blush that spread across Michael’s face at the compliment.

“I wish everyone wouldn’t drown them with such gushing praise all the time. My son and daughter will become spoiled rotten,” grumbled Lily, Michael’s mother.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Krane grinned. “Both Michael and Jovi are wonderful kids.”

Lily frowned, looking somewhat troubled. “That reminds me… I don’t think I’ve seen Jovi since lunchtime. Michael, I hate to bother you, but could you go find Jovi for me?”

“Again?...” Michael groaned. Jovi, his eccentric sister, _always_ ran off to play and explore, no matter how many times she had been reprimanded for disappearing and forbidden from doing so again. He was usually the one sent to find and retrieve her, to his continual consternation.

Because of the complaint and resentful look on her son’s face, she added, “Michael, I think you already know, but several research projects are in their critical phases in this lab. That’s why your mother can’t afford to take any time off right this instant. So please, honey, will you go find Jovi for me?”

Michael sighed, resigning himself to the tedious task. “Alright…”

Lily smiled. “Thank you. I’m counting on you. I don’t think she could have wandered off too far, but just in case, check outside, too.”

Krane, understanding Michael’s annoyance, piped up. “I’m sorry, Michael. After five long years, this project is finally on the verge of coming together. But for that to happen, we can’t do without your mother’s expertise.” He paused for a moment before adding, “By the way, I left a P*DA in your room, Michael. Go check it out.”

“Really?” Michael’s eyes lit up. He’d wanted a P*DA ever since the newest, multi-purpose version had come out on the market! Sure, it was a few weeks after his birthday, but that the professor remembered it at all was touching. “Thanks, Professor!”

Krane grinned. “I’m sure you already know this, but P*DA stands for Pokémon Digital Assistant. It’s very useful – it can be used for email, among other things. I’m sure that you’ll find its many features helpful. It’s also quite easy to use. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble figuring it out.”

Michael already knew all of this, but he still exclaimed, “Okay!” He dashed excitedly through a doorway on the other side of the room which led to another office, ignoring Krane’s amused chuckle and his mother’s call to slow down. The lab tech inside the office glanced up, startled, but Michael paid no attention to him. After exiting a tube elevator and running through a few rooms, Michael entered his bedroom. Upon seeing the clutter – clutter that _hadn’t been there_ the last time he’d checked – he groaned.

“How many times have I told her to keep her hands off my stuff?!” he exclaimed, reaching over to tidy a stack of books that Jovi had been rifling through. His desktop computer was logged onto the web, and the site that displayed was a virtual trainer simulation. Apparently, the trainer was a fan of pink, Plusle, Minun, and Skitty. Michael exited out of the website and then made his rumpled bed. After dumping all of the things that didn’t belong to him in Jovi’s room next door, Michael turned his attention to the silvery device he’d seen on his desk.

“This must be the P*DA…” he murmured, turning it over in his hands to fully examine it. He’d seen models in commercials, but this was the first time he’d actually held one in his hands. While the P*DA looked exactly like it had been shown in the commercials, it was slightly textured, instead of being completely smooth as he’d imagined it to be.

Tossing a Pokéball in the air and releasing the Pokémon inside, he said, “Apollo, what do you think of my new P*DA?” The brown, fox-like creature jumped on the desk and sniffed it curiously.

“Vee eevee,” he said, deadpan. Michael scratched the male Eevee behind the ears absentmindedly. Suddenly, the P*DA started beeping and vibrating, startling both Trainer and Pokémon. Michael pressed a button to open the device, and the metal shifted to reveal two screens, one of which displayed his trainer information, already downloaded, and several different applications. A mail symbol flashed at the bottom of the screen, which led Michael to assume that he’d received an email. He tapped the symbol, and the second screen displayed an email—it was from Professor Krane; he recognized the email address.

The email read, ‘ _If you’re reading this email, then you must have obtained the P*DA. Go ahead and try out its many features. By the way, Adon was playing hide-and-seek with Jovi. Why not have a chat with him?_ ’

Michael mentally sighed. Running around inside the maze-like lab was the last thing he wanted to be doing when it was such a perfect day outside to be training Apollo, but fear of his mother’s wrath overruled his desire to disobey her. After clipping his black bag with red trimming on his belt, which contained three potions and two antidotes, and slipping the new P*DA into his pocket (and making a mental note to toy with its features later), Michael said, “So, we need to find Adon. Apollo, can you help me locate him?”

“Vee!” Apollo held his head high in the air and sniffed cautiously. The Eevee led Michael on a twisting path through the many rooms of the first floor of the entire lab, startling several people. While, technically, Pokémon weren’t allowed to be out of their balls without a reason inside the lab, most of the lab personnel let Apollo’s presence slide since the Eevee was small and generally well-behaved.

“Alright, I’m guessing he’s not on the first floor. Let’s go to the second,” Michael said gently to his annoyed partner. They rode up a tube elevator to the second floor, where the majority of the offices were located.

“Vee!” Apollo exclaimed, picking up Adon’s scent and dashing toward an office at the front of the building. He scurried under a desk and began licking someone’s face. A bang informed Michael that whoever was under the desk had hit his or her head, startled by the Eevee’s appearance.

“GAH! Michael! Call off Apollo!” a voice yelled, which Michael quickly identified as Adon’s. He reached under the desk and plucked the Eevee away from the unfortunate aide. After waiting a few seconds and realizing that Adon wasn’t budging from under the table, he knelt down so he could properly talk with the man.

“Sorry about that,” Michael apologized through an amused grin as Adon pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face. “Apollo’s just a bit excited that he was able to find you, I guess. Anyway, do you know where Jovi is? Apollo dragged me through just about the entire lab before we found you, and we didn’t see her anywhere…”

“You’re looking for Jovi? We’re supposed to be playing hide-and-seek right now, but isn’t she around anywhere?” Michael shook his head. “Well, maybe she’s gone off to Dr. Kaminko’s manor. It’s a big, weird house southeast of here. Here, let me show you.” Adon pulled out an older model of the P*DA and quickly brought up a map. Michael grabbed his own P*DA and, after a bit of fiddling with the device to figure out how the built-in map of the Orre region functioned, downloaded the coordinates of and the directions to the house.

After than was done, Adon complained, “Jovi’s ‘it’ in our game of hide-and-seek. I wish she’d find me soon. My back is starting to hurt.”  

Michael sighed dejectedly. He wanted to be out pla- _training_ with Apollo, not running all over Orre to locate his missing sister! “Alright. Thanks!” he managed before dashing out of the room, Apollo still in his arms. He almost collided with one of the lab aides, Aidan, in his haste. “Oh, sorry, Aidan! What are you up here for?” Aidan was normally downstairs working in one of the forbidden-access labs, which contained experiments too dangerous or too classified to share with the general public. Even Michael, one of the Lab’s residents, didn’t know what was in most of them.

“Hi, Michael – don’t worry about it. The lounge is noisy, so I’m going to see what the commotion is about. The TV news just came on, so maybe something big happened,” Aidan replied.

“Really? I wonder…” Michael murmured, curious. It wouldn’t take but a couple of minutes to discover what the uproar was about – Jovi could wait that long, he reasoned. He and Aidan entered the lounge, which was complete with tables, couches, a coffee machine, a few Pokémon, and a television. Michael and Aidan arrived just in time to catch the news report. A female anchor appeared on-screen and began delivering her report. Behind her was an image of a cargo ship.

“We bring you ONBS News. Authorities have still failed to find any traces of the cargo ship _S.S. Libra_ since its sudden disappearance off the coast of Gateon Port. There have been no reports of flotsam that may indicate the ship’s sinking. The authorities appear mystified by the way the ship vanished like smoke. There are reports of numerous Pokémon on board. Concern is rising over their welfare.”

Indignant and anxious murmurs rose throughout the lounge. Apollo growled at the screen. Michael was worried—something terrible must have happened to the ship and the Pokémon it was carrying. As one woman loudly denounced the news report, saying that the _Libra_ had had engine trouble and was adrift at sea, Michael felt his ire rise. If the _Libra_ were adrift at sea, then the sailors on board would have radioed for help, especially given the precious cargo on board.

“Wow, a cargo ship carrying Pokémon disappeared without a trace. Is that really possible? I’m finding it a little hard to swallow,” Aidan said to himself, hardly noticing Michael stomp past him angrily. “Michael! Where are you going?” The call was ignored.

Michael rode down the tube elevator and exited the lab. He took a few deep, calming breaths. There wasn’t any use in getting so worked up about the news report; there wasn’t anything he could do about it. People would be people, and a large number of them were thoughtless and tactless. Besides, the longer he put off finding Jovi, the less amount of time he’d have to play with – er, train – Apollo.

He was about to head around back, where the storage shed for vehicles was located, when a shout reached him. “Hi, Michael!” He turned and saw his friend Aferd waving at him from the other side of the lab. Aferd ran up to Michael, panting slightly. “I heard about you! Sounds like you’ve been racking up outstanding scores on the Battle Sim System. But instead of that virtual reality stuff, how about a real battle for a change? I’ll be happy to battle with you anytime,” the trainer said hopefully. Aferd regularly challenged Michael to battles, though he rarely won. The two trainers had been friendly rivals ever since Michael had started training Apollo a few years ago.

Michael shrugged. “Why not?” _It’ll help me blow off some steam, stall finding Jovi, and train Apollo,_ he thought while, in standard Orre battle tradition, he wagered some of his allowance money on the battle.

“Okay, that’s the spirit! Let’s get it on!” Aferd exclaimed excitedly. He sent out his Sentret, which bounced playfully on its tail. Apollo, seeing the opposition, jumped out of Michael’s arms and landed in a battle-ready position. Some of the scientists loitering outside drew closer to the battle, interested.

“All right, Apollo, let’s start things off with a solid Bite attack!” Michael called, his anger and tension drifting away in the adrenaline of the friendly battle. He’d always loved battling, despite his relative inexperience.

“No way we’ll be taken down by that again! Sentret, dodge it by jumping up high!” Aferd countered. The Sentret bounced into the air with its tail, away from Apollo’s fearsome jaws.

“That won’t stop us! Sand Attack, Apollo!” With his hind legs, Apollo kicked up a cloud of dirt, which collided with the Sentret’s face and obscured its vision.

“Use your nose to sniff out the Eevee, then Scratch it!” Aferd ordered. The Sentret fell directly in front of Apollo, eyes closed and nose twitching.

Michael grinned as an idea came to him. “Sand Attack again!” Apollo once again kicked a cloud of dust at its opponent.

“Watch out, Senret!” Aferd called, but to no avail. With its eyes closed and without instructions from its Trainer about which way to dodge, the unfortunate Sentret inhaled a lungful of dirt and dust. It started to sputter, sneeze, and rub frantically at its nose.

Michael took advantage of the opening. “Tackle attack!” Apollo charged forward, impacting with the Sentret. It bounced back a few feet with a cry.

“C’mon, you can do it, Sentret! Get up!” Aferd urged, bouncing on his feet and making impressive gestures with his arms—a sure sign he was becoming nervous. His Pokémon struggled to its feet, panting, blinking grit out of its eyes, and occasionally coughing.

Michael waited just long enough for the Sentret to stand before issuing his next orders. “Knock it off balance with Tail Whip!”

Aferd, having learned his lesson from before, shouted, “Dodge left!” The Sentret jumped to the left, but Apollo was well trained and could adapt to the new development without needing an explicit order from Michael. The Eevee cleverly spun counterclockwise when it was close enough, giving it the momentum it needed to spin in the Sentret’s direction. His tail connected with a loud _Thwap!_ , and the Sentret staggered away, off balance.

“Finish it with Bite!” Apollo lunged forward, his canines glowing in preparation of the Dark-type attack. He latched onto Sentret’s belly fur. The Sentret could not endure this last attack, and it fell back with a cry, out cold. Apollo gave a triumphant “Vee!” before strutting back to Michael and jumping back into his Trainer’s arms.

Aferd gaped at his unconscious Pokémon. “Whoa! He really is tough!” he exclaimed to himself as Michael was congratulated on his win by the watching audience. “Where did I go wrong?” It had become habit for Aferd to ask for advice to improve his battling techniques when he lost.

Michael grinned. “A Sentret’s nose is a lot more sensitive than a human’s nose, and I took advantage of that with the second Sand Attack when you ordered Sentret to rely on scent instead of sound. Also, you didn’t warn Sentret about where Apollo’s attack was coming from when it couldn’t see.”

Aferd nodded, absorbing Michael’s advice. “Well, that was an eye-opener! Michael, you’ve become a lot tougher without me noticing. Okay! I’ll train using the Battle Sim System, too! That’s what I’ll do,” Aferd said determinedly before handing Michael the money he’d lost in the wager. Michael watched him enthusiastically charge through the crowd into the lab, no doubt making a bee-line for the sim room. Michael shook his head; in his rival’s excitement, he’d probably forgotten to take his Sentret to a healing machine. It wasn’t that Aferd didn’t love his Sentret; he just had rather narrow tunnel vision when he became zealous about something.

The crowd effectively dispersed by Aferd’s charge, Michael slipped away from the battle area and headed toward the vehicle shed around the glass dome that made up the main part of the lab building, but he backtracked when he noticed something though the glass. _One last detour,_ he thought somewhat guiltily before entering the lab quietly and sneaking up behind his victim.

She gave a loud snore just as Michael tapped her on the shoulder. “Hunh?!” She looked around dazedly before snapping to attention and rattling off her standard greeting. “Here! Here at the Pokémon HQ Lab, we undertake a variety of research on Pokémon, from their ecosystems to battling…” She trailed off when she noticed no one in front of her. She slowly turned around, then gave a little screech as she came face-to-face with a smirking Michael. “Uh... Oh, it’s you, Michael. You scared me out of my wits!”

“Well then, Shelly, better not fall asleep on the job again,” Michael teased before heading to the back of the lab, ignoring the secretary’s irate shouts behind him. Apollo seemed amused by the whole occurrence.

 _Okay, enough stalling,_ Michael thought as he exited the lab through the rear entrance and headed toward a large shed in the back. The shed contained all the vehicles owned by those who worked at the lab. Some lived at the lab, such as the director and Michael’s family, but others had cars to make the daily commute between their homes and the lab. A few simply walked.

When Michael had been given a motorized scooter for his twelfth birthday, he’d been absolutely ecstatic. He loved being able to go almost anywhere with it, as his mother allowed him to leave the lab with it any time he wanted, provided he was back before sundown. Apollo liked it, too; he frequently sat behind Michael and poked his head into the wind when the scooter was moving.

Michael located his scooter in one of the spaces made specifically for small vehicles. Apollo jumped from his Trainer’s arms to the back of the leather seat, while Michael pushed the kickstand back into its niche in the scooter’s frame with his foot. He straddled the familiar scooter and started it with a six-digit code inputted into a keypad (it never hurt to be too careful in protecting one’s possessions in Orre, after all) and a twist of a small handle. He revved the engine before driving out of the shed. Apollo gripped his Trainer’s gray vest with his claws to keep from falling off. Once the lab was out of sight, Michael pulled out his P*DA and accessed the map with one hand, the other preoccupied with steering the scooter.

The ride to the manor was uneventful, as Michael unerringly followed the directions Adon had inputted into his P*DA. The scenery was gorgeous; tall trees reached to the sky, their roots hidden from view with a thick covering of lush mosses and ferns. Apollo seemed distracted, too; it was the first time either of them had gone somewhere other than Gateon Port alone. The Eevee nearly fell off the scooter when they bumped over a wooden bridge that spanned a wide river, its slats placed together unevenly. Shortly after crossing the bridge, puffy clouds started covering the sky. Michael took no notice of them until he heard the roll of thunder in the distance.

“Great; now it’s going to rain!” he grumbled, envisioning himself sopping wet and covered in mud from the road. Then worry overtook his irritation. “Man, I sure hope Jovi hasn’t gotten into any trouble…”

The dirt road abruptly turned to cobblestone as a dilapidated house came into view. Though the estate looked like a dump to Michael, due to the broken wall and overgrown grass poking up between the dark flagstones, the house was still obviously in use because the odd spheres attached to the house’s roof crackled with electricity. The misshapen dead trees, broken Groudon fountain, shadowy pines, spikes on the fence, dark clouds, and thunder all contributed to the image that the house was owned by a mad scientist. Michael checked that he was, indeed, at his destination before dismounting his scooter and leaving it parked just outside the wall, locked in place so that anyone brave or crazy enough to approach the house wouldn’t run off with it. Apollo jumped into his Trainer’s arms, shuddering. Michael shivered and cautiously approached the front entrance. He dearly hoped that Jovi had enough common sense to stay away from a place like this, though from his sister’s eccentric personality and Adon’s description of the place, he had to wonder…

Suddenly, a voice cried out, “Wait! Who goes there?!” An extremely short, blue-haired man wearing a lab coat and odd glasses that were imprinted with swirls approached him.

“Ah, excuse me, I’m looking for—” Michael politely began, but was interrupted by the odd man.

“You must be a burglar! Chobin will put you straight! Don’t you move! Chobin is the name! And Chobin is the number-one assistant to Dr. Kaminko! Chobin is the only assistant, so Chobin has to be the number-one assistant!” Chobin insisted before withdrawing a Pokéball from his coat. Apollo growled at the man for the slight to his Trainer.

“Wait, I’m not—” Michael spluttered, but everything he said flew in one of Chobin’s ears and right out of the other.

“Chobin will have none of the burglar’s excuses! Go, my Sunkern!” the insane lab aide cried before releasing the grass-type. Apollo, holding a grudge against Chobin, jumped to the ground, still growling.

Michael sighed in exasperation and, seeing no way around the battle, called, “Apollo, Bite!” The Eevee dashed forward, fangs at the ready and glowing with energy in preparation for the Dark attack. The Sunkern swerved to the side, but Apollo was faster. With a spring to provide the momentum needed to cross the final few feet between himself and his opponent, Apollo bit down on the Sunkern hard. It squealed in pain and bounced away once the Eevee released it.

“Sunkern! Absorb! Show this burglar why Chobin is the number-one assistant to Dr. Kaminko!” Chobin yelled. Apollo threw himself to the left to avoid the red beam of light originating from the leaves on Sunkern’s head.

“Again!” Chobin barked, and the battle became more like tag as Apollo frantically dodged the beams Sunkern kept attacking it with. The Eevee was trained well enough that he could dodge the attacks without Michael’s explicit instructions, but he could neither attack, as none of his moves were long-range, nor get closer, at the risk of being hit with the Absorb attack.

Finally, Apollo made a mistake and jumped straight upward to avoid the Absorb. Sunkern took advantage of this and hit him when he was still in the air, unable to maneuver. Michael gritted his teeth as the crimson beam fragmented into shards and gained an emerald hue, flying back to the Sunkern to deliver Apollo’s stolen strength. He made a mental note to work on evasion tactics with Apollo the next chance he got.

“You see, burglar? This is why Chobin is the number-one assistant to Dr. Kaminko! No burglar stands a chance against Chobin!!” Chobin jeered, thoroughly annoying Michael.

“Tackle attack!” Apollo, unfazed by his loss of energy, rushed forward and collided with the Sunkern before Chobin could give it any more orders. The weak Pokémon couldn’t withstand another of Apollo’s more powerful attacks, and it bounced to the ground, unconscious.

 “Chobin lost!” The lab aide sounded dazed and confused at the sudden turnaround, as though he’d never contemplated what would occur when he lost. He soon regained his wits, though, and recalled his Pokémon. He shouted agitatedly, “You’ve made Chobin angry now! Even though Chobin lost, you’re still not getting past Chobin!”

“I just want to find my younger sister!” Michael snapped impatiently, fed up with having to deal with the oblivious lab aide. “Is there a blue-haired girl named Jovi here or not?” Apollo, curious, trotted up to Chobin and gently nudged him to see if he responded, but the aide was too caught up in his anger to notice either Michael’s words or Apollo’s prods.

Chobin straightened his glasses. “Huh? Closer observation reveals that the subject is a child. Ergo, the subject is not a burglar! Ahaha! Chobin wishes you spoke up right away.”

“I _did_ say something,” Michael grumbled. “My name’s Michael, by the way. Have you seen—”

“You’re Michael? Chobin apologizes for jumping to the wrong conclusion,” Chobin interrupted, causing Michael to groan in frustration.

Michael was about to ask again if the aide had seen his younger sister when the double doors to Dr. Kaminko’s house opened, and a young blue-haired girl wearing a white dress dashed outside. She seemed surprised by Michael’s presence. “Oh! Big brother! What are you doing here?”

Michael was relieved to see that his little sister was alright and not lost in the forest or injured. “I’m—”

“Oh! Jovi gets it! Big brother, you got lost, didn’t you?”

“No, I—”

“Uh-uh-uh! There’s no hiding stuff from Jovi! Because Jovi knows!”

“Jovi, I—”

“This big house is Dr. Kaminko’s,” Jovi chattered, as unaware of Michael’s words as Chobin. “Dr. Kaminko’s job is to make incredible inventions. There’s a whole bunch of neat machines like they have at the Pokémon HQ Lab. You should come in too, big brother!” Before her sibling could formulate any sort of reply, she dashed back inside, the doors swinging shut behind her.

Michael felt like banging his head against something, his relief having quickly faded. _No wonder Jovi likes it here; everyone is as crazy and deaf as she is!_ He heard the odd sound he had identified as an Eevee’s laughter coming from Apollo. “Traitor,” Michael muttered to his Pokémon, who seemed to find his Trainer’s plight absolutely hilarious.

“Michael, you are that girl’s older brother? Sometimes, she comes here. She wanders around everywhere. Chobin finds it hard keeping an eye on her so that she does not bother the doctor,” Chobin grumbled, unmindful of Michael’s annoyance.

“That sounds just like her.” _So_ this _is where she’s been when I’ve found her wandering around by the road!_ “Anyway, can I go inside? I need to get Jovi back the HQ Lab,” Michael said through gritted teeth, what little patience he had left quickly waning.

“Oh, yes! Michael, you will have a look at Dr. Kaminko’s inventions? You will, yes? Okay, this way, please! Follow Chobin!” Chobin replied excitedly. Michael wondered how ‘searching for Jovi’ translated to ‘looking at inventions’, but at least he had gotten inside the house.

The interior was as dilapidated as the exterior. The walls were covered with mildew and the wooden slats of the floor had almost disappeared beneath a thick coat of dust, somehow unbroken by footprints, despite that Jovi had to have passed this way to get outside. Apollo sneezed fiercely, his nose itching from the dust.

“Eevee vee,” the Eevee sniffed. He sneezed again, prompting Michael to return the Pokémon to his Pokéball.

The room ahead was completely bare, save for a large TV set into one of the walls and a shelf holding a few old-fashioned videotapes. “Okay! Chobin will now show you the inventions of the inestimable Dr. Kaminko. Dr. Kaminko’s inventions, it needs to be said, are number one in the world! Chobin is full of admiration!” Chobin sighed dreamily before grabbing one of the videotapes.

“How do you know they’re number one worldwide?” Michael asked, deciding to play along. Besides, if Chobin were distracted enough by the VCR, then he could slip away to look for his sister in other parts of the house.

“That needs explaining?” Chobin replied, surprising Michael – the aide had actually heard what he’d said! “In the whole wide world, no one but Dr. Kaminko would invent such inventions! Therefore, they are number one in the world without question! Our Dr. Kaminko, who is verily great, is inventing in that room there.” Chobin pointed to the open door on the left, from which the faint sounds of activated power tools originated.

“Hi, Doctor! What kind of funny machine are you making this time? Jovi wants to know.”  Jovi’s voice floated from the doorway. Upon hearing his sister, Michael began to edge his way in that direction, hoping that Chobin would not notice his escape attempt.

“Uh-oh! That girl is at Dr. Kaminko’s side again! Chobin hopes she is causing no disturbance. Anyway,” Chobin’s attention snapped back to Michael, who halted his endeavor to sneak off into the room to collect Jovi. “Let Chobin acquaint you with just some of Dr. Kaminko’s greatest inventions. Let the VCR roll!” Michael watched with equal parts of horror and amusement as the Chobin on TV blabbered on about sandals designed to hurt someone’s feet, a power-draining lightbulb, a vacuum cleaner that coated a room in dust, a refrigerator that turned off when the door was closed, a recorder for TV programs that cut the program off five minutes early, a calendar with only three hundred days, and a radio that would yell ‘please help me’ at two in the morning.

 _Completely useless,_ Michael mused, _but they’d make for great prank gifts… I wonder if those glasses Chobin is wearing are designed to make the wearer blind?_

“Ahaha! Incredible, is it not? There is much more than that, too. The doctor’s inventions, which are fantastic, can be seen on this monitor. Chobin gives you permission to use this anytime you like.” With that, the aide tilted his head to the side for a few seconds, then forgot about Michael’s existence and abruptly scurried through the right-hand door, no doubt the entrance to his workspace or something along those lines. His head was still tipped to the side.

 _I don’t want to know_ , Michael thought, just glad to be rid of the lab aide. He headed through the left-hand door and beheld who must have been Dr. Kaminko – his long hair defied gravity and stood straight up, and he wore the same glasses that Chobin did. Jovi was peering over his shoulder, pestering him about whatever little mechanical trinket he was creating, while an older man hovered by the other shoulder, carefully examining the technical readouts of one of Kaminko’s inventions.

Michael approached his sister and said, “Come on, Jovi. We need to get back to the HQ Lab. Mom will be worried sick. …And Adon’s back is starting to hurt.” Michael prodded his sister with a finger, but she just waved him off with an annoyed gesture. She didn’t seem to hear a word of Michael’s statement.

 “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but overhear you,” the older man said, addressing Michael. “Did you come from the Pokémon HQ Lab?”

Michael eyed him cautiously, wary of yet another wacky person accosting him. “Yeah. What of it?”

“How is the Lab’s director? Professor Krane, yes?”

“Uh, he’s doing just fine, aside from a slight lack of sleep because a few of his pet projects are coming together…” Michael said, caught off-balance by a person who seemed to act normally yet was still keenly interested in Kaminko’s odd creations.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Ah, yes – if you’d be so kind, please tell the professor that the machine part he needed is ready, and that he should come get it anytime.”

“And this is coming from...?”

“My name’s Makan. I run the Parts Shop in Gateon Port.”

“Alright, no problem. I’m sure the professor will be happy.” Michael turned to Jovi and began poking her again. “Jovi!” he exclaimed, raising his voice. “Earth to Jovi. Can you hear me?”

Finally, Jovi responded to her brother’s nagging. “Hi, big brother! This is a funny drawing! It’s a really detailed drawing of a really weird machine!” she said cheerfully.

Michael sighed. “That’s great, Jovi, but we need to go home now.”

“Huh? You’re going home already, big brother? But you just got here! Oh… Jovi gets it! Jovi has to show you how to go home, right?”

“I think I can get home all by myself,” Michael replied dryly.

“Okay! That’s what Jovi will do! Jovi will take you home!” Jovi decided before turning her attention to a Minun that was attached to one of her legs. Michael couldn’t understand how the Pokémon had such a high tolerance for the large quantity of dust in the house. “Mimi! Let’s go home with big brother!”

The Minun gave a shrill “Mi mi!” before jumping onto Jovi’s shoulder.

“Okay! Let’s move out! Jovi will visit again, Doctor! Bye-bye!” Jovi called, but, _surprisingly_ , Kaminko didn’t seem to hear her.

Michael’s P*DA went off just as he and Jovi were exiting the building together. Michael checked the device – there was a new email from Professor Krane in the inbox.

_‘Dear Michael, you appear to have traveled far in your search for Jovi. Please come back to the HQ Lab as soon as you find her. I need your help with something.’_

“What is it? What is it?” Jovi clamored, jumping up and down while clutching Michael’s arm. “Oh! Big brother got a P*DA? Jovi is jealous of big brother! But what was the beeping noise?”

“It was an email from the Professor. He wants me to come home quickly, probably for help with one of his experiments or something.”

“Jovi is worried about letting you go by yourself, big brother. Let’s go right now!”

Jovi sat sidesaddle behind Michael on the scooter and chattered the whole way home. Her Minun clung tightly to her shoulder and accentuated her speech with the occasional, enthusiastic “Mi!!” Michael blocked out the sound of their voices so that they were merely a buzz in the background and concentrated on his lush surroundings. He was relieved when the HQ Lab finally came into view. Lily was waiting at the front steps, tapping her foot impatiently. Michael parked his scooter by the steps, figuring that he could go put it in the shed later.

“Oh, hi, Mommy! We’re back!” Jovi called when she caught sight of her mother. She gracefully slid off the scooter and flung her arms around Lily.

“Oh, Jovi! Haven’t I told you not to wander away by yourself?” Lily chided while returning the hug.

Jovi replied, “No, Mommy, you don’t understand! Big brother was lost, so Jovi brought him here! If Jovi weren’t there, Jovi bets he’d be crying by now saying he can’t go home! Right, big brother?”

Michael just sighed in resignation. “I give up,” he groaned. “She’s impossible.”

“Oh, my, my! Jovi, you are such a brave and resourceful girl!” Lily praised airily. “But that’s quite enough for today. Besides, Adon must be tired of waiting for you.”

“Oh, my gosh! I was in the middle of hide-and-seek!” Jovi gasped. “Okay, big brother, I’ll see you later! Bye-bye!” She dashed off into the lab—accidentally jostling her Minun off her shoulder, which speedily recovered to run beside her—and finally searching for a certain aide whose back had to be just about killing him.

“Michael, thanks for finding Jovi for me,” Lily said seriously. Seeing the exasperated look on her son’s face, she decided to change the subject instead of grilling him about Jovi’s whereabouts. She could ask later, after all. “Oh, yes. Professor Krane wanted to see you, Michael. Go see him right away, please.”

“I know; he emailed me. Do you know where he is?”

Lily paused. “No, actually. I’d check his office first, though.”

“Gotcha.” Michael jogged toward the left-hand building where the living quarters were located, instead of the right-hand building, which housed the actual labs. Oddly enough, it was easier to access Krane’s lab through the residential wing than the laboratory wing, even though Krane’s office was located on the second floor of the latter.

Seeing as there was no reason to keep Apollo cooped up anymore, he let the Eevee out of his Pokéball. Apollo preferred to be out of his ball, anyway. The Eevee barked, “Vee eev eevee vee!” and rubbed up against Michael’s legs in contentment.

Michael smiled in response to the Eevee’s affection. He reached down to pick his Pokémon up, but Apollo clambered up one of the green-clad arms and settled over Michael’s shoulders like a furry neck pillow. Michael looked at his partner in confusion, but simply rubbed Apollo’s head. The Eevee licked his Trainer’s cheek, eliciting a smile.

Michael went upstairs in the residential building’s tube elevator and dashed through an office before entering Professor Krane’s office in the research wing of the lab. However, the only person there was an old man who was studying how treatments from Psychic- and Fire-type Pokémon could treat various ailments that troubled the elderly.

“Oh, Michael, Apollo, welcome back. Were you gone far away?” the man queried, looking up from his paperwork to greet the boy and his Eevee.

“Yeah, I was looking for Jovi. Do you know where Professor Krane is?” Michael asked.

“Huh? The Director? He went downstairs just a little while ago. You didn’t bump into him?” the man replied, but Michael was already running out of the office and into the lab’s tube elevator.

After getting directions to Professor Krane’s whereabouts from a passing scientist, Michael found the Professor and Aidan standing over an odd, lighthouse-shaped contraption in one of the side labs, muttering excitedly. This piqued his interest, as he’d rarely seen them so excited except when one of their projects had finally been completed. Besides that, this particular lab was a forbidden-access lab and had always been off-limits to him. He had no idea what was inside. The door to this lab shouldn’t have even been open.

Krane looked up as Michael peeked in the doorway. Instead of shooing him out, as he should have with a forbidden-access lab, he instead greeted, “Hi there, Michael! I’ve been waiting for you! This lab is home to the Snag Machine, and I wanted to show it to you. Has Aidan said anything to you about it?”

“No…”

“It’s a special device for snagging Pokémon. The two of us, Aidan and I, were developing it. And now, it’s finally finished. I’d like to begin testing it right now. Michael, will you help us?” the Professor asked.

 _Snagging Pokémon? I’ve heard of catching them, but…_ “Alright,” Michael said aloud, anticipation building. Unlike Dr. Kaminko’s inventions, Krane’s always had a function that would aid people or Pokémon – or both.

“Okay. Step inside, please—this lab is officially open to you. I’ve already updated the security system to allow you access.” Most of the HQ Lab’s doors opened automatically, but those that didn’t – usually with good reason – were installed with some of the latest security features on the market, including biometric locks.

Michael entered the lab, inwardly marveling that he’d been allowed access to one of the forbidden labs. Once he was inside and the door was properly sealed against curious eavesdroppers, Krane revealed, “I should tell you, the Snag Machine is an outrageous piece of work. After all, it’s used for stealing Pokémon from another trainer in battle.”

“What?!” Michael yelped in utter shock. It was widely known and recognized in all of the regions (perhaps less so in independent Orre, but still) that stealing another trainer’s Pokémon was one of the worst crimes a trainer – anyone, really – could commit. Krane would _never_ make something with such a despicable function. “That’s illegal! Why are you making something like this?!” Michael demanded.

“We didn’t make this to steal Pokémon indiscriminately from Trainers,” Krane continued, unfazed. He held his hands up in a simple _calm down; be patient_ gesture. “Michael, you’ve heard of Shadow Pokémon, haven’t you?”

“The term rings a bell, but I don’t know much about them…” Michael cautiously replied with narrowed eyes, wondering where the conversation was headed.

“Well, you were only eight when they first appeared, and sheltered by your mother from their true nature, no doubt…” Krane trailed off, eyes distant, and his next words were so soft that Michael wondered if he was meant to hear them at all. “…wouldn’t have heard much about them anyway; people like to pretend the Shadow Incident didn’t exist…”

“…Professor?” Michael asked hesitantly. He’d never seen the Professor so reflective – lost, almost – and he made a mental note to research this “Shadow Incident” later.

Krane snapped to attention. “Er, right. Anyway, Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon that have been turned into mindless fighting machines after having their ‘hearts’ closed by cruel artificial means, capable only of obedience, anger, and sadism. They’re to be pitied.”

Michael’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed again in fury. Ever since he’d been little, he’d been taught to be kind to Pokémon; they were humanity’s greatest friends, companions and allies. He knew that Pokémon were abused sometimes, but he’d never heard that they’d been so malevolently exploited. “That sounds terrible! Turning a Pokémon into a mindless fighting machine… a tool…” he growled angrily. Apollo echoed his Trainer’s sentiments, snarling furiously. “That’s why you built something like this, isn’t it?”

Krane nodded, chuckling. “Smart boy. That _is_ why we developed the Snag Machine – to take back such modified Shadow Pokémon. They shouldn’t be around anymore now, but we still created this machine just in case someone tried making them again. Greedy people will always attempt to gain power, no matter the consequences. But for now, I’d like you to test our Snag Machine. After all, you’re the best trainer at this lab. The Snag Machine is in this case. Try equipping it right away, please,” Krane said. He paused, then added, “Apollo, Michael will need that shoulder…”

Michael nodded jerkily, still seething from the idea that _anyone_ would try to create such a miserable creature, while Apollo gracefully leaped from Michael’s shoulders and onto the floor. Aidan pressed the columns on the lighthouse-shaped case in a complex sequence, and the case swung open to reveal the Snag Machine. Michael examined it curiously.

The Snag Machine was a metal shoulder pad and a glove connected by a thick metal cord which a bar of light periodically traveled down. A glowing blue panel was on the back of the glove, which spun about every once in a while, and a metal Pokéball-shaped design was on the palm. An oddly shaped mechanism was perched on hooks behind the Snag Machine.

Krane and Apollo carefully watched as Aidan gently removed the Snag Machine from the case and placed the shoulder pad on Michael’s left shoulder. Concealed clamps attached themselves to his shoulder to keep the device steady. Michael heard the hidden hydraulic mechanisms within hiss quietly before he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. It felt as if someone had a hand on his shoulder and was squeezing – not enough to cause pain, but not enough to go unnoticed, either. Next, Aidan helped Michael fit his hand into the glove, the inside of which contracted slightly to fit snugly. Michael wiggled his fingers and realized that he could still move them almost to their full extent. He watched in fascination as the thicker fingers of the glove perfectly mimicked the movements of his slimmer fingers. The plating attached to the glove made the actual glove appear thicker than it really was; it was thin as a gardening glove. As Michael circled his arm about to test the limits of the motion of his shoulder with the shoulder pad, he felt air flowing in through the exposed fabric on the palm.

“This is really well-made,” Michael murmured, flexing his wrist. The Snag Machine had hampered few of his movements, and it was obviously built for comfort and durability, as well. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Krane said, pleased.

“Eevee vee eev eev eevee!” Apollo exclaimed, staring at the odd contraption now attached to his Trainer’s arm. Michael smiled and knelt down so the Eevee could sniff the machine curiously. “Vee!”

“It seems that Apollo approves,” Michael grinned. “Should we test it now?” he queried, eager to test one of the Professor’s inventions – and to test a technically illegal device with a benevolent purpose.

“Hold your Ponytas; there’s one more thing I have to equip,” Aidan said while removing the odd device still in the case from the hooks.

“This is the Aura Reader,” Krane explained while Aidan showed Michael how to attach it to his ear. “This device allows you to—”

“Wow, it fits you perfectly,” Aidan interrupted breathlessly. “It even looks cool, too, Michael. Oh, and I have one more thing for you – a new feature for your P*DA. It’s called the Shadow Monitor. It will let you check data on whatever Shadow Pokémon you encounter.” Michael handed his P*DA to Aidan, and as the lab aide inserted a data chip into the device, he continued, “Not that there’s any current reason to need this app, but you should still have something like this, just in case.”

Krane, unfazed even though he’d been interrupted, said, “Now then, you should learn how the Snag Machine works. It will be a lot easier to just show you how it works in practice rather than trying to describe it.” Apollo gave a concurring “Vee,” causing Krane to smile. “Let’s go upstairs to the Battle Sim System room.” Michael grinned; he’d always learned more from practical lessons than dry lectures.

Krane exited the room, with Michael, Aidan, and Apollo right behind him. Abruptly, Aidan halted and gasped, then chuckled. Michael and Apollo looked at him strangely.

 “Whoops! How silly of me! I almost forgot to give you these,” Aidan hurriedly said, pulling out five shrunken and empty Pokéballs from within his lab coat. “In order to use the Snag Machine, you need at least one Pokéball. So, I’ll give you these,” Aidan explained while handing the Pokéballs to Michael. “Pokéballs aren’t used in the Orre region, so we import them from another region.” After Michael stored the Pokéballs in his bag, Aidan grinned, “Okay, now we’re set! Let’s hurry over to the Director.”

Suddenly, Apollo’s ears twitched, and he started growling menacingly. “What is it, Apollo?” Michael asked worriedly, scooping up the Eevee. He got his answer when he heard a door slamming open and running footsteps, followed by a scream.

“W-what’s going on?! Who are you people?!” Krane shouted. Michael and Aidan tore out of the lab they had been in to the foyer, but by then door had already banged closed.

The foyer was devoid of people, save for Shelly. She was standing behind her desk, obviously deeply shaken. “It’s terrible, Michael! Some strange men came barging in and took off with the Director!” she cried.

“Dammit! What the hell happened to security?!” Michael swore. Aidan didn’t rebuke the foul language, since he was pale and shaking in terror. Michael glanced around the lab. No one was going outside to find Krane. Michael clenched a shaking fist, his fear – as nothing like this had ever happened at the Lab – and his desire to aid his friend warring within him. Michael gathered himself together and, before he could lose his nerves, called, “Stay here; I’ll go check it out!” He raced out of the lab and dropped Apollo to the ground. The Pokémon was tense and battle-ready as he followed his Trainer outside.

Michael and Apollo froze as they beheld the scene outside the Lab. All the lab workers in sight were lying on the ground, unconscious. A large red hover vehicle was parked below the steps next the Michael’s scooter. There were three men in a white armor of some kind that Michael had never seen before. The one with the largest build held Professor Krane’s hands behind his back and was pushing him toward the vehicle.

 “Will you let go of me! Where do you think you’re taking me?!” Krane demanded as he struggled against his captor, wriggling furiously and digging his heels into the ground.

One of the smaller men in armor with a yellow bandanna chuckled sinisterly. “I’m taking you to your new lab, professor,” he replied, smirking cruelly.

“What… My new lab?” Krane gaped, dumbstruck.

“Move it; we don’t have any time. If you don't want to get hurt, hustle yourself into the car,” the large man holding him growled.

“You people… What are you?!” Krane cried out in fear.

That was enough to snap Michael out of his daze. “HEY!” he shouted. Apollo shook himself and growled menacingly as the three men in armor swung around to face him. Krane couldn’t stop a look of relief from spreading across his face.

“Hah? What is it, punk? You’re going to play hero and try to stop us? I don’t show mercy to anyone, not even kids,” the man with the yellow bandana hissed. “Go, Teddiursa!” Apollo bounded forward in response to the challenge as the Little Bear Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball.

Michael was about to order Apollo to attack when a beeping noise in his left ear distracted him. A small screen slid across his left eye. Michael blinked as a small line of text appeared on the screen – a system check, he presumed – before the screen darkened. As it did so, odd, purplish-black flames appeared around the Teddiursa. Then Michael’s vision blurred slightly as his sight in his left eye conflicted with his sight in his right eye, giving him an instant headache.

“What is that?” he whispered to himself in horror. Peering closer, he saw unbridled _hate_ in the Teddiursa’s eyes.

“Michael! The Aura Reader is responding!” Krane screeched. “That’s a Shadow Pokémon!”

 _What?!_ Michael thought as Apollo took a few wary steps backward to put more distance between himself and the newly dubbed Shadow Pokémon.

Michael’s opponent rounded on Krane, screaming, “Shut up!”

But Krane would not be silenced. “Hurry, Michael, hurry! Throw a Pokéball at it!”

 _So much for testing the Snag Machine on the Sim System,_ Michael thought grimly as the armored man started to yell at Krane again, disregarding Michael as the lesser threat. Michael numbly reached into his bag, and the thick fingers of the glove closed around one of the shrunken Pokéballs. He pressed the Pokéball’s button, enlarging it to full size, before instinctively closing the glove over the ball. A bar appeared on the back of the Snag Machine’s glove on the blue panel, quickly making a complete circle. Some lights flashed on the Snag Machine, and blue lines appeared on the exterior of the Pokéball – the ball’s circuitry, Michael realized. When the circle on the panel had been completed, the lines brightly glowed golden before fading away altogether.

Michael drew his left arm back and awkwardly threw the Pokéball at the Teddiursa.

He had been using his bad arm, and he realized with dismay that his aim had been off by about a foot. But he soon discovered that that didn’t matter, as the ball opened while still within the air. A dark, glowing, clawed hand emerged from the ball, dragging the startled Teddiursa into it.

The Pokéball – no, the Snag Ball – clattered to the ground, shaking. Everyone present watched the Snag Ball with trepidation, and the man who’d been yelling at Krane stared at it in horror. Apollo stayed tense and ready in case the Teddiursa broke out of the ball.

Finally, it stilled, and the red glow emanating from its button became white again. A light flickered on the glove of the Snag Machine, and the Snag Ball flew back to Michael. He caught it with his right hand, somewhat surprised. Professor Krane smiled with relief.

“What was that? My Shadow Pokémon!” the armored man cried out in dismay. “Was that… Was it a snag?”

Michael shrunk the Teddiursa’s Pokéball and attached it to his belt next to Apollo’s. Teddiursa’s former master gaped at it disbelievingly. During the man’s distraction, Apollo cautiously edged back to his master, still keeping a wary eye on the opposing Trainer in case he sent out another Pokémon.

Finally, the armored man snapped out of his stupor and exclaimed, “Kid! What is that machine on your arm?!”

“Could it be…” the other smaller armored man gasped in disbelief. “A Snag Machine?! What the hell is _that_ doing here?!”

The man with the yellow bandanna whirled on his partner, jaw dropping. “That’s big news! Come on, move! I need to report this to headquarters, like, now!”

Michael, still numb and moving on autopilot, was a second too slow in reacting, and in that time the kidnappers had already gotten a decent head start to their vehicle. Krane had been thrown over the largest man’s shoulder. When the Professor started thrashing about again, his captor slammed an armored fist into his kidneys, rendering Krane temporarily immobile from the pain. A trunk within the vehicle was opened, and the Professor was roughly tossed inside. The trunk slammed closed, and by the time Michael and Apollo had reached the vehicle, its engines had already roared to life. It sped away, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured Michael’s and Apollo’s vision and caused them to stagger, coughing violently. When they had recovered, the vehicle was already long gone.

The lack of noise prompted some of the braver scientists to venture outside, and when they did, they found that a few of those who were unconscious were stirring. They also found Michael, who had slumped to the ground where he stood. He was clutching Apollo tightly and looked like he was in shock.

Michael couldn’t believe what was happening. He’d confronted the kidnappers – all by himself; the adults in the lab had been no help at all – used the Professor’s new invention; stolen a Pokémon from a Trainer on the Professor’s insistence, opposing moral lessons that had been drilled into him since he’d been a toddler – now that the men were gone, it was fully sinking in that he’d _stolen a Pokémon_ , something society labeled as utterly despicable; and watched as the kidnappers had stolen his friend right in front of him. The rational part of his mind was telling him to get up, get inside, and wait for the authorities to provide an update on the situation, but the majority of his brain had him paralyzed, trying to refute events that should have only occurred in a nightmare. Nothing of this magnitude had ever happened to him; he didn’t know how to deal with it.

Lily hurried outside and wrapped her arms around her stiff son. “You were very brave, Michael, for taking on those kidnappers with the Shadow Pokémon all by your lonesome. No one blames you for Professor Krane’s kidnapping.”

Michael stood slowly, eyes wide and vacant. He nodded to his mother absentmindedly before stumbling back into the lab. He entered the first room he saw and slumped onto one of the chairs, still clutching Apollo tightly.

The Eevee gave a sad, “Eevee vee…” before sadly licking his Trainer’s chin. He hated seeing Michael so lifeless, but there was little Apollo could do, being in a similar despondent mood that Michael was in.

After a few moments passed, a scientist peeked in the doorway and tucked a blanket around Michael before disappearing again. Michael pulled it tighter around him; he was unusually cold, despite it being in the middle of summer…

Professor Krane was gone.

It was a reality Michael didn’t want to accept. The Professor had been a steady source of support all throughout his life in lieu of his absent father, offering encouragement, advice, and comfort – in between all of his experiments, of course. Despite his busy schedule, Krane managed to visit both Michael and Jovi often. He’d even come up with the solution to Michael’s schooling after a nasty incident involving the other children at the Gateon school Michael had gone to and Michael’s then recently obtained Apollo.

Professor Krane was gone.

Who knew what the armored people would do to Krane? He wasn’t a fighter in any sense of the word. They probably wouldn’t kill him; if they’d wanted to, they’d have been able to do so right in the middle of the Lab’s grounds. Considering that one of them had said something about another lab, they probably wanted Krane’s brilliant mind for some illegal experiment. Michael had no doubt that they’d harm the Professor physically to get what they wanted. Michael had to force himself to calm down before he started hyperventilating; the thought of the Professor being tortured left him breathless.

Professor Krane had been _kidnapped_.

 _They’ll get him back,_ Michael thought stubbornly, ignoring the little voice at the back of his head that whispered, _No, they won’t._

A sniff came from the doorway, and both Michael and Apollo looked up to see Jovi. She was trembling violently. Finally, she cried out in despair and flung her arms around her older brother, sobbing. Michael snaked an arm around Jovi and held his younger sister close, comforting her as best he could.

After a few minutes, warmth started to seep back into Michael’s limbs. Numbness and worry turned to sorrow, and he would have broken down and started crying had Jovi not been there. As it was, a couple of silent tears slipped past his control before his depression turned to a steely determination to stay strong for Jovi. Despite the annoyance he often garnered from her eccentric personality, he really did love her. She was his little sister, after all.

After a while, Lily and Aidan entered the room, looking grim. Jovi detached herself from Michael and latched on to her mother, still crying. Michael lifted Apollo into his arms and hugged him tightly. Apollo nuzzled his Trainer affectionately in return.

 “Waaah! They took the Professor away!” Jovi cried, her voice slightly muffled from having her head buried in her mother’s coat.

“Don’t cry, Jovi. I’m sure Professor Krane will be okay.” Lily said gently, stroking her daughter’s hair. Jovi sniffed, but her cries quieted down a little.

 “We’ve contacted the police and the proper authorities about Professor Krane. They should let us know if they discover anything,” Aidan said to Michael before his gaze became vacant. He was more affected by the kidnapping than he let on. “I still can’t believe that this is happening...” he murmured.

“Professor Krane predicted that someone will again try making Shadow Pokémon. His prediction was on the mark,” Lily said grimly, eyeing the extra Pokéball sitting innocently on her son’s belt.

“Michael, the Teddiursa you snagged probably isn’t the only Shadow Pokémon that was made… When the Purify Chamber is completed, we will be able to save many Shadow Pokémon at the same time, but… Professor Krane is crucial to the project. Without him, there’s nothing we can do!” Aidan cried in despair.

Michael watched as a change came over his mother. Determination replaced controlled sorrow, and she closed her eyes to either steel her resolve or think. She then blurted out her resolution to the world, eyes shining.

“Let’s complete it! We’ll finish the Purify Chamber ourselves!”

Aidan looked at her as though she’d grown a second head. “Lily? The Director’s not here! It’s hopeless. There isn’t any possible way to get it done.”

Lily snapped, “You’re on the verge of finishing! This isn’t the time to feel sorry for yourself. The Purify Chamber project got this far not just because Professor Krane was here. We got here because we all worked as a team. Having come this far, it would be wrong to stop now. Our pride as scientists is on the line. Let’s finish the project as one!” Apollo began enthusiastically yipping after Lily’s speech. A few eavesdropping scientists shamelessly peeked into the room, either agreeing fervently with Lily or asking what they should be doing. Lily began barking out instructions to the scientists. Jovi had picked up her mother’s enthusiasm, since she had stopped crying, but her eyes were still puffy and red.

Michael gave a tiny grin. His mother’s inspiration was infectious. Seeing such determination to be unaffected by Krane’s kidnapping was exactly what he needed to get over the last of his despair.

He then studied his mother and Aidan carefully. This “Purify Chamber” was obviously of some significant importance if the two scientists were so impassioned about it. It was probably related to Shadow Pokémon, taking recent events into account. _I hate being kept out of the loop_ , he grumbled, bitterly thinking of the mysterious “Shadow Incident” Krane had mentioned.

Lily turned back to the others in the room. “Things will get very busy around here!” she said, which Michel translated to, _Go to your rooms and stay out from underfoot!_ “I’ll go upstairs and check how the data processing is progressing,” Lily continued. “Aidan, go to the Purify Chamber and help run diagnostics on the Sets.”

After both scientists had left the room, Michael said, “Come on, Jovi. Let’s go back to our rooms.”

“But Jovi wants to stay and help Mommy!” Jovi protested, watery-eyed.

“Right now, all we’d be doing is getting in the way,” Michael gently rebuked. “We can check on Mom later, okay?”

“‘Kay,” Jovi sniffled. She tightly gripped her brother’s hand as the two weaved through crowds of busy scientists. Apollo had jumped onto Michael’s shoulders again, unbothered by the metal shoulder pad of the Snag Machine, and he was barking to warn the scientists of their approach.

When Jovi and Michael finally reached their bedrooms, Jovi said softly, “Jovi wants to play with Mimi and Pluplu. Will big brother be okay without Jovi?”

“I’ll be just fine, Jovi. The real question here is, will _you_ be alright?” Jovi nodded and disappeared into her bedroom, but her determined front was ruined when Michael heard a loud sniff and Jovi’s Plusle’s and Minun’s concerned squeaks. He attempted to enter but found that she’d locked the door.

Michael entered his own room and slumped down on the bed, sighing. Today had been completely draining, physically and emotionally, and time had slipped by so quickly that the sun was low on the horizon, from what Michael could see from his window. He shook his head frantically. The last thing he needed at the moment was to slide back into despondency. Apollo sat next to Michael, barking a concerned, “Vee?”

Michael scratched Apollo behind the ears absentmindedly. “Today’s been a crazy day, huh, Apollo?” The Eevee gave an affirmative bark. Michael’s mind remained blank for a moment before his thoughts drifted to the mysterious “Shadow Incident” and “Purify Chamber” the adults had mentioned. Michael sat in front of his computer and started it up, Apollo following him and sitting next to the monitor. When the computer had warmed up, Michael pulled up a search engine and typed _Shadow Incident._

The returns dealt mainly with a popular novel by an author in the far-away Sinnoh region. He didn’t know much about Sinnoh – he was much more familiar with Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, Orre’s trading partners – but he didn’t think the incident was centered in the other region. Discarding the book as irrelevant, Michael tried again: _Shadow Incident Orre_. This time, only a few results returned, mainly forums based in the other regions wondering what in the world the mysterious Shadow Incident of Orre was. There were a couple mentions of Shadow Pokémon and someone named Wes, along with the normal conspiracy theories the public tended to generate when something was kept secret, but that was it. There was one site that was based in Orre, though, and Michael clicked on it.

_You are attempting to access classified information. Please enter an access code.  
–Confederation of Orre_

Michael’s eyes widened. A cover-up? Orre was notorious for not trying to hide its high crime rate and large population of thugs, especially in the southeastern area of the region. What would be so bad that even rough, tough Orre would conceal a part of its history?

It probably had something to do with Orre’s relationship with the other regions, Michael mused, mind whirling at the implications of a cover-up in _Orre_. Orre’s relationship with the other regions was tenuous, at best. All of the other regions were notorious for looking down on Orre for only accepting a partial treaty with the Pokémon Association. Orre followed some of the Pokémon Association’s rules (the most notable exception being the lack of an organized Pokémon League system with Gyms), in return for trading rights with the regions in the Pokémon Association – an absolute necessity for Orre, as the desert that made up the majority of the region was unsuited to any kind of farming. Orre’s economy was based primarily on fishing, industry, mining, and tourism; people loved to see scenic places like Phenac City. Trainers, especially, were drawn toward Mt. Battle, as it was the only place in any of the regions that offered the challenge of one hundred consecutive battles. Orre traded its abundance of iron, coal, natural gas, oil, and precious metals for industrialized goods and necessary supplies for human and Pokémon alike; without the trade, the region would starve. It was imperative for Orre to keep the trade; it was about the only thing Orreans sought to preserve of the other regions.

 _How would the Shadow Incident be so bad that even Orre would strive to keep it hidden? That it would threaten the precious trade, scare away the other regions?_ Michael wondered. He didn’t think there was much that could possibly bring the Orre region lower in the other regions’ eyes, but apparently he was wrong.

Orre was viewed as uncivilized, filled with Pokémon thieves and common thugs (in some of the rougher towns, the latter was certainly true). Because of the rougher nature of most Orre battles, the double battle as the standard battling type in the region, and the lack of wild Pokémon (since they had all been wiped out in the eruption of, as it was contemporarily named, Mt. Battle centuries prior, which replaced fertile land with harsh desert), Orre was viewed as inferior to the other regions. No one in Orre really cared what the other regions thought of them – which was why the government of Orre was so different from that of the other regions. Orre’s government was comprised of an alliance of all of the different counties and presided over by a council with representatives from each county, instead of being completely lorded over by the Pokémon Association. This council was named the Confederation of Orre.

This giant cover-up made Michael even _more_ curious of what had happened five years prior – he remembered all of the adults being really uptight and secretive, almost paranoid. However, he knew he wouldn’t be getting any more information from the web. The people of Orre could be amazingly clandestine when they wanted to, a side-effect of being involved with so much shady business. Getting information from the scientists of the labs was also a no-go, as they would be busy with whatever the Purify Chamber was. Michael glanced at the Snag Machine on his arm. He had a feeling he’d be getting answers anyway, what with his ownership of the machine (temporarily, at least; no one had bothered to take it from him) and his snag of the Shadow Teddiursa. His only viable current course of action was to wait until some opportunity came along to get information.

Michael scowled. He hated waiting.

“Vee?” Michael realized with a start that he’d been staring at the same web page for quite a while. Lost as he was in his musings, he hadn’t noticed Apollo becoming increasingly worried.

“I need a break from this,” Michael groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. He _had_ been staring stupidly at the computer screen for some time, after all. “You want to get some dinner, Apollo?”

His answer was an enthusiastic, “Vee!”

Michael poked his head out of the door, watching the veritable chaos that was taking place, even in the residential wing. He couldn’t imagine what the laboratory wing was like. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, shouting at each other for one reason or another. Apollo, who had taken refuge on Michael’s shoulders, laid his ears flat at the noise.

 _One thing that’s nice about being smaller than most people is that I can navigate through crowds easier_ , Michael thought as he slipped through the throng of scientists mostly unnoticed. He crammed into the tube elevator beside a couple of people hauling boxes of what looked to be mechanical junk but probably wasn’t upstairs. As Michael neared the kitchens, the crowd thinned out. There was no one else in the small café save for a single chef, who looked alarmed at the noise floating through the open doors of the café.

After a moment of thought, Michael quickly obtained a box of food to take back to his room instead of eating at the café. He also grabbed large bag of Pokéfood that would last Apollo for a while. After navigating back to his room, Michael laid on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling instead of eating his meal. Apollo abandoned the bowl of food Michael had set out and jumped up next to his Trainer, prodding him. “Vee?

Michael sighed despondently. “I don’t know what to do now, Apollo.” He gestured vaguely toward his door. “I wish there were some way I could help, but I can’t. I’m no scientist!!”

Apollo stared at his Trainer, then gave a sharp, “Vee eevee vee!!” and headbutted Michael, startling the boy. He glanced at his Pokémon. Over the years, Michael had learned to rudimentarily understand what Apollo was trying to say (provided the message wasn’t too complex), as the two had bonded so closely.

“Huh? There is something I can do?” Michael asked, interpreting Apollo’s actions. The Eevee nodded and nudged the Shadow Teddiursa’s Pokéball. “What, you want me to let it out? I don’t think that that’s such a great idea…”

“Vee!” Apollo nodded, then shook his head in frustration and pointed first at the wall, then at Michael with one of his paws.

 _Great, charades. I’m awful at charades._ “I’m not giving Teddiursa to Jovi,” Michael deadpanned. Apollo banged his head on the wall in frustration.

“Eev eev ee eem eev mee eevee mee eev!” Apollo barked with difficulty, since the ‘m’ sound it was using was not a sound it could usually make.

“Me?” Michael asked, picking up on the difficulty of the syllable. Apollo pointed at the wall again. “Me go to Jovi room?” Apollo took a swipe at his Trainer. “Ow! Okay, no… Um… Oh! Is it something that starts with the letter ‘m’?” Apollo nodded. “Okay… Meal? You want me to get something for Jovi to eat?” Apollo shook his head and pointed at the wall again. “Hmm… Minun starts with ‘m’, so is it Minun? And maybe Plusle, too?” Apollo nodded enthusiastically, then pointed at the same wall again. “Minun and Plusle and Jovi? They’re comforting each other right now…” A few loud squeals drifted through the wall. “And playing…”

Apollo gave a happy “Vee!!” and then pointed at Teddiursa’s Pokéball.

“You want me to play with Teddiursa?” Michael asked skeptically, but Apollo started barking in happiness that Michael had _finally_ understood what he was trying to say.

“But why?” Apollo trotted to the door and nosed it open, letting Michael see the chaos outside. The scientists were still frantically running around, spouting technical jargon to each other. Over and over, the words ‘Shadow Pokémon’, ‘Sets’, ‘Purify Chamber’, and ‘Teddiursa’ cropped up in their speech.

After thinking for a while, Michael finally connected the dots. “Are you saying that playing with and being nice to Teddiursa might help it become normal again?”

Apollo barked, “Vee!” proudly one more time before pushing the door closed.

Michael brought Teddiursa’s Pokéball in front of him and stared at it, wondering if Apollo’s idea could really help. Sure, he knew a lot about regular Pokémon, but what if playing with it would only make things worse? Michael chewed his lip in thought and finally reminded himself, _I have to do_ something. _Professor Krane wouldn’t want me to just sit in here, brooding, after all._

Michael finally sighed, “Okay, but if it tries to get out of my room, it goes back in the ball.” Michael locked his door, just in case, before tossing Teddiursa’s Pokéball into the air.

The Shadow Pokémon materialized on the floor, somewhat bewildered. “Urs?” it wondered before catching sight of Michael. “Teddiursa!” it snarled, unsheathing its claws.

 _It’s not really going to attack me, is it?_ Michael wondered. There was an odd beeping in his ear, but he ignored it.

Thankfully, bloodshed was averted when Apollo strode up to the Teddiursa confidently and began barking at it in an upbeat tone. This thoroughly confused the poor Teddiursa, as it couldn’t quite seem to understand why the Eevee was being so friendly to it.

Michael blinked. The purple flames around the Teddiursa were back, as was the screen that had come from the Aura Reader. He pinched the bridge of his nose to help stave off the impending headache, but it did little good.

 _I’ll just have to get used to the double vision, I guess,_ Michael thought. _Better start stocking up on painkillers…_

“Vee! Eevee!” Apollo called, snapping Michael to attention. Teddiursa had relaxed some, but was still looking up at Michael, eyes narrowed.

“Hello, Teddiursa,” Michael smiled before sitting on the floor. “I’m pleased to meet you…” Michael held out his right hand, and Teddiursa gave it a cautious sniff. Seeing no negative response, Michael reached up to stroke the fur on Teddiursa’s head.

Teddiursa, apparently, thought that Michael was about to attack him, and unsheathed its claws fast as lightning and lashed out violently at Michael’s hand, which quickly retreated with three thin but bloody scratches.

Michael gritted his teeth in anger and pain, but his rage drained away when Professor Krane’s voice echoed in his head: _Shadow Pokémon are Pokémon that have been turned into mindless fighting machines after having their hearts closed by cruel artificial means, capable only of obedience, anger, and sadism. They’re to be pitied_. “Apollo, why don’t you tell Teddiursa that I’m not going to attack it?” Michael said evenly before rummaging through the drawers in his dresser for some band-aids. After locating them, Michael clumsily applied them, as the thicker fingers of the Snag Machine’s glove were ill-suited to handling small objects. It would have been easier for him to just remove the Snag Machine, but he didn’t know how to take it off. By the time he had finished, both Pokémon were looking a bit less agitated than before.

Michael figured that Apollo had said something to the Teddiursa, but he still felt the need to state, “I won’t hurt you. I don’t know how those armored nutcases treated you, but I promise that I won’t intentionally harm you. Okay?”

The Teddiursa nodded hesitantly. “Teddiursa,” it said slowly. This time, when Michael extended his hand, Teddiursa allowed him to pat its head.

After that, the three played various games together – tag, catch, and other simple games. Sometime during the entertainment, Michael regained his appetite and ate the food he’d filched from the café—it was pasta with chicken in a tomato sauce, he noted (for he hadn’t been paying attention to what he’d grabbed from the café)—and fed the Pokémon with the Pokéfood he had obtained. Throughout the couple of hours they were playing and eating, Teddiursa didn’t look happy, but it looked less angry than before, so Michael guessed that it was a start. The purplish-black flames around it had also diminished, which Michael also took as a good sign.

At one point, the headache from the Aura Reader started to become unbearable, and Michael called for a quick time-out. He downed some painkillers from the small medicine kit he had in his dresser and tried to hide the bottle from Apollo, but the Eevee seemed to know exactly what Michael was consuming and barked worriedly.

“I’ll be fine, Apollo. I just have a headache from the Aura Reader, that’s all,” Michael said, but there was a slight catch in his voice that left the Eevee unconvinced.

Apollo scrambled up onto Michael’s shoulder – Teddiursa looked at him as if he’d lost his mind – and began tapping the Aura Reader with his paw. The Eevee found a few buttons to press, so he took a wild guess and pushed the one on his far left. The Aura Reader’s screen slid back. With the double vision gone and the painkillers kicking in, Michael’s headache drastically reduced.

“Are there controls back there, Apollo?” Michael asked. Apollo answered with the affirmative, so Michael reached back awkwardly with his left gloved hand and hit the button closest to the front. The Aura Reader’s screen slid back in front of his left eye. Michael closed his right eye to stave off the headache, then hit the next button further back. There was another diagnostic sweep, and then various nuances in the Teddiursa’s flaming corona were identified. A horizontal purple bar then appeared, hovering over the Teddiursa’s head. It was separated into five sections. One of the sections was partially white instead of purple.

“That’s… odd,” Michael murmured.

“Vee eevee,” Apollo deadpanned before pressing the button that would retract the Aura Reader’s screen. He then jumped to the ground in front of a silent Teddiursa, questioning, “Eevee vee eevee eev?”

“Teddi teddiursa teddi,” the Little Bear Pokémon replied. It paused before speaking again, this time more impassioned. “Ursa! Teddi teddiursa urs! Teddi! Teddi teddi! Urs! Teddi teddiursa! Ursa teddi teddiursa!”

“More charades, Apollo?” Michael sighed. Apollo handled the charades better this time around, using various balls in the room to pantomime a smiley face. “Happy?” Apollo motioned to himself, then to Michael, then to himself again. “I make you happy, and vice versa?” The next pantomime sent Michael for a loop, until he finally connected the balls Apollo was sending crashing into each other was meant to symbolize “battle”. The smiley face again, and a motion at Teddiursa. “Battle makes you happy, Teddiursa?” “Ursa!!” Michael didn’t understand Apollo’s motioning to himself, Michael, and Teddiursa until he motioned to the Pokéballs attached to Michael’s belt. “Trainer?” A motion between Michael and Teddiursa. “Yeah, I guess I’m Teddiursa’s trainer now…” Then weak Tackle, Bite, and Tail Whip attacks on various pieces of furniture, and a motion at Teddiursa.

Michael finally put it together. “So, battling makes Teddiursa happy, but it can’t be happy because its trainer, me, doesn’t know any of its moves. Is that right?” Teddiursa nodded.

“Don’t you use normal moves, like Scratch, Leer, and Lick?” Teddiursa looked utterly confused. “Guess not…”

An idea suddenly occurred to Michael. He pulled out the P*DA and flipped it open to reveal the options Shadow Monitor, Strategy Memo, Status Analysis, and Mailbox, along with other useful apps like the maps. He chose Strategy Memo, and a Pokédex appeared on the screen. Filing that little bit of information in his head for later, he exited out of the app and chose Shadow Monitor. An image of Teddiursa cloaked in the aura appeared, as well as the bar he’d seen on the Aura Reader. He mentally noted the Shadow Monitor’s functions and chose Status Analysis. The words _Point P*DA at Pokémon_ appeared on the screen, so he trained the P*DA on Teddiursa.  The Little Bear Pokémon’s battle stats appeared on the screen, but there were question marks in the spaces where moves, battle experience, and OT numbers were supposed to be. Curious, Michael tapped the space where Teddiursa’s move set should have been. The question marks filled the screen, and the message _Pokémon moves unknown_ flashed above them, followed by _Input Pokémon move set?_

“This will come in handy in the future if I can figure out what your moves are. Why don’t we go outside so I can name your moves?” Michael said, addressing Teddiursa.

“Urs!”

Apollo scrambled onto Michael’s shoulders and became his fuzzy neck pillow again. Michael stretched out his arms to Teddiursa, who immediately began growling.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Michael said gently, though he was inwardly seething at whoever had Shadowfied Teddiursa and made it so angry and mistrustful. “I simply want to take you outside. For that, I either need to hold you, or return you to your Pokéball. Outside my room is really crazy, with all the people running around, and I don’t want you to accidentally get stepped on.”

Teddiursa softened fractionally. “Ursa teddiursa,” it said, unsheathing its claws and pointing to its eyes. Michael understood the threat immediately.

_Any funny business, and I claw out your eyes._

Apollo was growling angrily at the Little Bear Pokémon, so Michael reprimanded, “Be nice, Apollo.” The growling ceased, but Michael knew his Pokémon well enough to know that Apollo would still be glaring angrily at the Teddiursa.

Michael gently wrapped his arms around the Shadow Pokémon, which became as stiff as a board, before unlocking his door and stepping outside his room. Teddiursa glanced around in interest. Very few of the hurried scientists noticed them, but those who did froze at the sight of the Shadow Pokémon sitting docilely in Michael’s arms.

Michael slipped outside and noticed his half-forgotten scooter still parked at the bottom of the steps. Aloud, he said, “I’m going to move my scooter back to the shed, alright? We can learn about your attacks back there, too, Teddiursa.”

Michael set the Shadow Pokémon on the back of the scooter. “Hang on to me with your claws, okay? Apollo, are you alright where you are?”

“Vee!”

“Ursa!”

After Michael returned the scooter to the shed, he led his Pokémon to some of the open spaces behind the lab. The trees were tall and provided shade, but there was little undergrowth, making it perfect for working outside on hot summer days.

After a little bit of searching, Michael found a familiar nub of a boulder sticking up from the ground. The nub was perfect for a practice target, and he’d done half of his training in this place, drilling Apollo to increase his strength, stamina, flexibility, and speed. The other half was spent in the Battle Sim System to sharpen Apollo’s wits and experience with “real” Pokémon.

“Okay, Teddiursa,” Michael said. “Use whatever moves you know on the boulder.”

“Ursa!” Teddiursa sped at the rock in what looked like a normal Tackle attack, except that even at its strongest, Apollo’s Tackle couldn’t even put a chink in the rock. Teddiursa’s, on the other hand, cracked the rock down the middle. Michael stared at the rock in disbelief, stunned that such a small Pokémon could produce such a damaging attack

“That wasn’t a Tackle, was it?” Michael asked warily, just to be sure. Teddiursa growled at him angrily. Obviously not, then.

“Vee! Eevee vee vee!” Apollo said. He was still draped across Michael’s shoulders, and he took the opportunity to press the button that activated the Aura Reader with his nose.

Michael blinked rapidly at the return of the double vision and the purplish-black flames around Teddiursa. “Vee eevee!” Apollo called. Teddiursa repeated the attack on one of the surrounding trees, except this time, Michael was able to see the flaming aura leap up and thicken around Teddiursa. Some of the ethereal fire transferred to the tree trunk as the bark cracked and splintered.

Michael was quick to catch on to the Teddiursa’s attack. “So, it’s like a normal Tackle attack, except those weird flames add a lot of extra oomph. Now, what to name it… It can start with ‘shadow’, since obviously only Shadow Pokémon can use it… How about Shadow Rush?”

Teddiursa shook its head. Back when it had been around other Shadow Pokémon, it had seen the move called Shadow Rush, and its attack certainly wasn’t that…

After a while of guessing a good name for the move and having Teddiursa reject them all, Michael asked, “Does the move already have a name?” Teddiursa nodded. “Great, more charades…” Apollo jumped from his shoulders to aid the process. After a while of pantomiming, which left all three parties angry and frustrated – Teddiursa mangled the tree trunk more in place of Michael in its impatience and aggravation – Michael finally guessed, “Shadow Blitz?!”

“VEE!” Apollo cried in relief.

“Yeah, finally!” Michael laughed as he flipped open his P*DA and input _Shadow Blitz_ into the Status Analysis. “I was beginning to wonder…”

“Teddiursa!” the Shadow Pokémon snapped. Apollo’s ears drooped and he slumped to the ground.

“Another move?” Michael groaned. “All right, let’s see it.”

This move was a whole lot easier to name. Michael watched as greenish-purple cloud emerged from the Shadow Pokémon’s mouth and engulfed the remains of the rock protruding from the ground. Once there, it clung to the ground and lingered. Apollo gave it a tentative sniff, and then backed up, pawing at his nose. After figuring out that the cloud hindered the target Pokémon’s agility slightly, thus lowering its evasion, Michael had little difficulty in guessing that the move’s name was Shadow Mist.

The light was just beginning to disappear from the sky when Michael heard a call of, “Big brother! Big brother!”

“Teddi…” the Shadow Pokémon growled menacingly. That girl who was calling sounded an awful lot like the one who had used the painfulangrymachines on him…

Michael noticed Teddiursa’s reaction and said, “That’s my younger sister, Jovi. Is there something wrong with her?”

“Ursa…”

Michael pursed his lips. While he’d been interacting with the Teddiursa, he’d been extremely careful to avoid doing anything to inflame it, since—as far as he could tell—Teddiursa would aggressively attack anything that angered it. “Do you think you could meet her without attacking her?” The Little Bear Pokémon shook its head. “Then you’ll have to go back into the ball, since she’ll try to glomp you the instant she sees you. I’m sorry…” Michael said as he returned the Teddiursa to its ball. He gazed at the ball sadly, wondering, for a moment, if Teddiursa would ever be returned to normal.

“There you are, big brother! Jovi had a hard time finding you!” Michael’s sister exclaimed, snapping him out of his brief moment of melancholy. “Can Jovi and big brother go see Mommy now?”

Figuring that they’d waited long enough and that their mother could spare a moment or two for them, Michael replied, “Sure, why not? Come on, Apollo.” The Eevee took his new favored spot sprawled across his shoulders, and the two siblings ducked inside the busy main lab, looking for their mother.

As they searched, Michael realized that his lingering melancholy from Krane’s abduction had nearly dissipated. Dealing with Teddiursa had been an outstanding distraction, and watching all the scientists run around busily was an excellent motivator, he decided.

Michael finally found Lily in one of the offices in the residential wing, talking in technical jargon with one of the lab techs about something on the computer the tech was working on. Finally, she said in exasperation, “This basic data should be fine now. Keep going with it until we’ve got the machine part.” She looked up from the computer and noticed her two children standing in the doorway, but only addressed her son. “Michael, you came at a good time. May I get you to run an errand for me in Gateon Port tomorrow? We’ve ordered a special machine part for the Purify Chamber from the Parts Shop.”

Before Professor Krane’s kidnapping, Michael would have complained about the errand, but now he was glad his mother had chosen him to go do something to help the efforts of the scientists at the lab. “Sure thing. Oh, yeah – I met the guy – Makan, I think – who owns the Parts Shop. He said that your order had come in,” Michael said, remembering the meeting at Dr. Kaminko’s house.

“Oh, good. I’m sure you know where Gateon Port is – due south of here. It’s not far, but be careful,” Lily cautioned.

Jovi jumped up and down excitedly to catch her mother’s attention. “Jovi knows the Parts Shop! It’s next door to Emili’s house! Mommy, can Jovi go? Jovi wants to help everyone!”

Lily looked slightly pained. “Jovi, I appreciate your offer. I know you want to help. But, it’s an important component…” She trailed off, inwardly debating with herself. Finally, she continued, “…Okay. Jovi, you’re a member of the Lab’s staff, too. You may go if you take Michael with you. Dear, would you mind going with Jovi?”

Michael grumbled, irritated for an instant, but remembering how devastated Jovi had been when the professor was kidnapped instantly quashed the feeling. It could be her only chance to do anything to help. “Alright.” _Why do I get the feeling that I’ll regret this?_

Jovi smiled brightly. “Okay, Mommy! Big brother is Jovi’s assistant! You have to listen to Jovi, big brother! Off we go to Gateon Port!”

She turned to dash out the door, but Michael caught the collar of her dress. “Not now, silly,” he reprimanded. “It’s too dark!”

Jovi pouted for a second, then brightened and said, “Time to go to bed, then! Morning will come faster if big brother and Jovi go to bed now! Remember, you have to listen to what Jovi says!”

 _I knew it,_ Michael inwardly sighed. _She’ll be like this until we get the machine part…_ Aloud, he humored his sister: “Alright, Jovi. Whatever you say.”

Jovi beamed at him, then latched onto his arm and dragged him all the way back to their rooms. Michael couldn’t help but be embarrassed when he heard Lily and the lab tech chuckling as they exited the room.

_______

The next morning, Michael and Jovi found their mother working in the same upstairs office, arguing heatedly with the lab tech. Michael recognized the signs of an all-nighter: multiple coffee cups stacked about the desk. In Lily’s foul, sleep-deprived mood, he was hesitant to disturb his mother, but he knew she – and the rest of the scientists – would want to know that they were leaving to retrieve the Machine Part.

“Mom, we’re leaving now,” Michael said.

Lily turned. She looked frazzled. “That’s great. Please don’t take too long; we can’t do without the machine part for too much longer.” She paused, drew herself together with a sigh, and added, “Michael, Jovi? Both of you be very careful, please. We’re all counting on you two!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Yes, Michael’s wearing a different outfit at the start. That will change in a couple chapters, promise. For those of you with complaints: Michael’s hardly going to solely have carbon copies of the same outfit in his wardrobe. Real people don’t wear the same thing every day, right?
> 
> About the Pokémon battles: I admit, I am a complete novice at Pokémon battles in real life (something that will probably be remedied very quickly in the course of writing this fan fiction). If they seemed awful, that’s why. I redid all of them at least once. I toyed, especially, with the Salamence-Metagross battle for a while and am still unsatisfied with it. It still seems… choreographed. Wooden. Not realistic. If anyone has any tips for writing a good Pokémon battle, please tell me.
> 
> If any of you have complaints on how strongly Michael reacted after Cipher captures Krane, don’t bring them to me. Michael is a fourteen-year-old boy who has no actual father – Krane comes pretty close, but he’s almost always wrapped up in an experiment, so he isn’t the epitome of a father figure – has had lots of problems with people his age (which will be expanded upon), and lives in a lab with everyone who’s either older or younger than him. I’m no psychologist, but I’m pretty sure that living with those experiences would grant him with a polite demeanor (smart kids who were bullied can turn to quiet, unassuming shells as a defense mechanism), issues with self-confidence with just about everything barring Pokémon (there’s one area that he’s comfortable in, at least), and an emotional fragility rarely seen except in stressful situations.
> 
> Hope he doesn’t act too weird; I want him to have a human personality, after all. Tell me if something seems too out there, and I’ll do what I can to fix it, ‘kay?
> 
> That being said, hopefully I’ll be able to get some Michael character development in there with everything. Dealing with something as huge as Cipher wouldn’t leave anyone unscathed.
> 
> Also, about the Aura-Reader-double-vision-headache thing: I read somewhere that having two different images projected to different eyes could/would cause a headache and nausea. The brain would have difficulty interpreting both at full capacity, after all. Michael will get used to it pretty quickly, though.
> 
> Trying to do the governments in the Pokémon world was awful. The only mention of something of a government in the Pokémon world is the Pokémon Association in the manga, and even then, details are scarce. I can’t believe there’s no government, like some people think, due to the astounding unity of the police, hospital, monetary, and legal systems, or that the Elite Four is the government. Sure, they help take down criminal syndicates, but politics really isn’t in their job description. So I made up my own version that seems to fit the best with the regions. The only reason I tackled that endeavor was because my goal was to write this fic without having Wes’s and Rui’s achievements hanging over my head (Michael’s head, really). I don’t want to write about Michael constantly comparing himself to what would have been a childhood hero otherwise; it’s much more enjoyable to write about Michael’s struggle to obtain information. It’s a nice change of pace from all the other fics I’ve seen. Besides that, no one really seems to mention the first Shadow Incident much in XD anyway. Therefore, Shadow Incident #1 was covered up. How? Governments do cover-ups. Also, there aren’t any generation IV or V (orVI) Pokémon (barring Munchlax and Bonsly). So the generation IV, V, VI, and later regions don’t associate with Orre, therefore their Pokémon aren’t present in Orre, except for the really rich or really shady smugglers, which Michael isn’t going to really run into anyway. The reason why Cipher doesn’t have any of the later Pokémon is because their Pokémon are by-and-large SS Libra Pokémon, which were all Gen I-III Pokémon except the Bonsly. If something in the government explanations seems weird or lacking, please tell me.
> 
> -HM


	3. Chapter 2

After exiting the lab with Jovi, Michael was just about to run around back to grab his scooter from the shed when a voice called out, “Hey! Michael! Jovi! Where are you two off to?” The two turned and saw Aidan jogging toward them, holding few sheets of paper in one hand.

Once Aidan had reached them, Jovi replied, “Jovi is on an important trip to Gateon Port. Big brother is Jovi’s assistant!”

“Not this again,” Michael moaned; it was far too early in the morning to contend with this. Jovi was incredibly difficult to deal with when she was oblivious to all but her own whims. She would treat him like an assistant, no matter how it grated on his nerves and slowed them down.

Aidan blinked slowly, like he hadn’t fully comprehended Jovi—understandably, really; he looked like he’d pulled an all-nighter (like the whole rest of the lab). “Huh? Michael is your assistant?!” He glanced between the annoyed Michael and the innocent Jovi confusedly. “Uh… you must be confident with such a good assistant, Jovi.” Aidan shook his head to temporarily get rid of his fatigue and addressed Michael, his voice stronger and his gaze more focused. “…Anyways, Michael, could we ask you to hold on to that Snag Machine and use it?”

Michael blinked in shock. Of all the things Aidan could have said, this was something he definitely was _not_ expecting. “Why me?” The Snag Machine would have been costly to build – all of the lab’s projects were – and there was a distinct possibility it could be misused by someone. He wouldn’t, but a great deal of the lab personnel didn’t know him well enough to simply let him run around with it.

“Well, you’re the best trainer in this Lab, plus you’re the only one with experience actually using it. Why wouldn’t we want you to have it?” Aidan questioned, causing Michael’s jaw to drop open. Was he _really_ being entrusted with such a powerful and expensive piece of equipment?

“Besides, there may be other Shadow Pokémon out there. If you spot one, you can rescue it from the criminals,” Aidan continued, not noticing Michael’s grimace at the prospect of stealing _more_ Pokémon, Shadow or not. “I’ll make approaches to the authorities and other people to have Pokéballs available for sale at shops. One more thing, Michael – I wanted to give these to you.”

Aidan handed the papers to Michael, who glanced at them curiously. “What are these?”

“They’re documents on Shadow Pokémon that Professor Krane and I complied. Please read them,” Aidan said. “Now, I’ve got to get back to work on those Sets…” The lab aide jogged back into the lab, muttering complex equations to himself.

Michael skimmed though a couple of sheets—they were covered with writing and what looked like preliminary sketches of some sort of machine and the Aura Reader—and his gaze fell upon a depiction of the bar that the Aura Reader showed. He was immediately torn—take a few minutes to read the memos and understand more about Teddiursa’s condition, or go immediately to Gateon Port and pick up the Machine Part?

_Professor Krane really worked hard on this machine everyone’s so pumped about, but his ultimate goal was to help the Shadow Pokémon… so…_ “Do you mind if I look through these?” Michael asked Jovi while waving the memos, making his decision of which he would do first.

“But Jovi and big brother have to get the machine part so Mommy and all the others can make Professor’s machine work!” Jovi protested.

Michael winced. “I know we do; but if I read these memos now, I might be able to help Teddiursa sooner than if we went and got the machine part immediately.”

“…Okay. But only if Jovi gets to play with Apollo!” she bargained, looking unhappy. Michael released the Pokémon from his Pokéball, and after a short explanation, the Eevee began running around with Jovi.

Michael sat of the steps in front of the Lab and scanned the top of the first page of the first memo. He noted that the date on the memo was nearly five years prior—around the time when the lab was first created.

“ _Krane Memo 1:_ _Re: The Snag System – Shadow Pokémon are victims of criminals who have had their ‘hearts closed’ to be used for misdeeds. They must be taken from their malevolent masters and protected. The most effective means of taking such Pokémon from criminals is the Snag System developed by Cipher to steal Pokémon for their experiments. It is an unforgivable act among trainers to steal another trainer’s Pokémon, but there is no other way to save Shadow Pokémon. The Snag System was originally designed to steal any Pokémon from trainers in the same manner as a wild Pokémon is caught. We must immediately develop a system that snags only Shadow Pokémon… and nothing else._ ”

_I guess that means that snagging Teddiursa without lowering its HP first was just an extremely lucky fluke, since Pokémon caught in the wild usually have to be weakened first_ , Michael mused. _And I know that snagging is the only way to save Shadow Pokémon, but how do you justify stealing another trainer’s Pokémon?_ No immediate answer came to him, so he flipped to the other memo.

The second memo was longer and dated more recently than the first.

“ _Krane Memo 2:_ _Re: The Aura Reader – It is impossible for ordinary people to distinguish Shadow Pokémon from regular Pokémon based on appearance. In developing a new Snag System, our biggest challenge was devising some means of recognizing Shadow Pokémon immediately. We solved this challenge with a headset device that senses Shadow Pokémon. We named this headset the Aura Reader because of the purplish-black aura that appears around a Shadow Pokémon. After creating the initial Aura Reader, we discovered that the aura of Shadow Pokémon diminishes as their hearts begin to ‘open’. We then developed a function on the Aura Reader that shows how ‘closed’ a Pokémon’s heart is called the Shadow Meter or the Heart Gauge._ ”

Michael scanned the two memos, but couldn’t find anything more about returning Shadow Pokémon to their natural states – everything else in the memos was comprised of complex equations and diagrams. _At least I know what that purple bar was on the Aura Reader,_ he thought, consoling himself that his detour had not been a waste of time. He folded the memos carefully and put them in his bag before calling, “Jovi! It’s time to go!” Apollo scampered onto Michael’s shoulders, eliciting a strange look from Jovi.

“When did Apollo start liking to sit on big brother’s shoulders?”

“Yesterday,” Michael deadpanned as he retrieved his scooter from the shed. “He seems to like it there.”

As the trio approached Gateon on the scooter, the trees thinned and the air began to smell of sea salt and fish. As the trees disappeared altogether, Michael found himself seeing the low buildings of the port town and a deep blue strip across the horizon. Peering closer, Michael saw a small cluster of vehicles near the town in what looked to be a parking lot. As the scooter pulled in to the parking lot, the buildings blocked the view of the sea. After parking in a spot specially made for bikes, scooters, and motorcycles and ‘locking’ the scooter so that it couldn’t be picked up by the wandering passerby, Michael, Jovi, and Apollo made their way to the official entrance of the city. Michael could see why most people chose to enter the city this way; there were no buildings obstructing the view of the sea or the rest of the city.

The sea itself was a beautiful cerulean color that reminded Michael of tropical beach resorts; farther out, the shade darkened to a deep blue. Multiple docks jutted into the water, but few boats were actually moored at them. The city’s layout was slightly haphazard and unplanned, and residential houses were intermingled with the warehouses, restaurants, and stores. Some homes were actually built on slabs of concrete that jutted out of the water. A towering lighthouse was built atop one of the slabs, making it the tallest structure in the port. The structures on the water were connected to shore by oddly-shaped bridges that didn’t always connect together, but Michael knew that they were supposed to rotate. The entire port was completed by a lively atmosphere, due to the many people wandering about. A lone Wingull cawed loudly, adding to the noise.

“Wow, big brother! Look, look! It’s the sea! The sea! It’s so big!” Jovi gasped, jumping up and down in excitement. Apollo shared her awe and was gazing out into the open waters, eyes wide.

“Vee vee eevee!” the Eevee cried before using his tail to swipe at Teddiursa’s ball.

“You want me to let Teddiursa out?” Michael asked, glancing at his hyper sister and remembering Teddiursa’s negative reaction to her. Then he looked out at the sea again. “You’re right; Teddiursa should see this.” He tossed the ball a fair distance from Jovi so he could recall Teddiursa if things got rough, but the instant the Shadow Pokémon was out of its ball, it had become enraptured by the ocean.

“Amazing, isn’t it? Michael smiled, scratching behind Teddiursa’s ears. The Shadow Pokémon looked so relaxed that Michael felt that it was safe to introduce it to Jovi. “Teddiursa, see that girl over there?” Teddiursa’s attention turned, and he beheld Jovi still jumping up and down, still squealing excitedly about the sea, no matter that she’d seen it many times before. “She’s my younger sister, the one that I thought you were going to attack. Do you think you can meet her?”

Teddiursa studied the little girl. She certainly looked nothing like the pink-haired witch that had hurt it so badly, so Teddiursa gave a tentative, “Urs.”

“Jovi!” Michael called while picking up Teddiursa. The girl turned to her brother and immediately gave a loud squeal.

“Teddiursa is so cute!” She gasped, hurrying over to peer at the Little Bear Pokémon more closely. She reached out to pet it, but Michael felt Teddiursa stiffen, so he grabbed his sister’s hand to keep her from touching the Pokémon.

“Why did big brother not let me pet Teddiursa?” Jovi demanded, looking upset.

“Jovi, you must remember that Teddiursa is a Shadow Pokémon. It won’t hesitate to attack you if you upset it or scare it,” Michael said gently, showing Jovi the bandages on his right hand.

“Jovi is sad… but Jovi understands! Jovi can always play with Teddiursa when it’s back to normal!” the girl said, cheering herself up with her own words.

“Good. Now, do you know where the Parts Shop is?” Michael reminded Jovi of their mission.

“Oh! Listen, listen! The Parts Shop is over there! Hurry, big brother!” Jovi called, running down the steps and it the left. She turned back and waved enthusiastically. “This way, this way!” She turned to run again, but didn’t watch where she was going.

“Jovi, look out!” Michael yelled. But the warning came too late; his younger sister had already smacked into the large, menacing man in her path and fallen to the ground. He began to head toward the two to help smooth things over with the intimidating man.

 “Ouchies! Jovi fell down!” she said, sounding slightly dazed. She shook her head to focus herself, then looked up to see the man she had run in to towering over her.

“Hey, now! Where do you think you’re going?” the man said in a gruff voice, looking annoyed.

“Oh, sorry! Jovi is sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!” Jovi apologized, getting up from the ground and dusting herself off.

“And look what you’ve done!” the man snapped before baring his teeth at her. Jovi wilted under the gaze, looking pale and frightened.

_This can only spell trouble_ , Michael thought grimly as he picked up his pace, hoping to intervene before anything bad happened.

The thug continued angrily, “You’ve messed up the happening look of Zook, the coolest, baddest, and most happening guy around!” He stomped his foot in fury. “Gnnnnn! Sorry doesn’t begin to cut it!”

“Stop it!” Michael snapped, moving protectively between Jovi and the thug. “She’s just a little girl!”

Zook eyed Michael menacingly, taking note of the snarling Pokémon in his arms and on his shoulders. “Huh? So, you’re with this munchkin, aren’t you? And it looks to me like you’re a trainer.” Zook grinned nastily. “You look like you’ll be a million times more fun than some munchkin! I’ll stomp you flat with my Shadow Pokémon!”

Michael’s eyes widened. _A Shadow Pokémon? Here, in the middle of Gateon Port?_ _How?!_

“Tear him to pieces, Zangoose!” A white ferret-like Pokémon appeared in front of Zook, growling ferally. The Aura Reader beeped and slid in front of Michael’s left eye, revealing its unnatural aura. Michael gulped; the Zangoose’s aura was much darker and much more powerful than Teddiursa’s aura. Both Apollo and Teddiursa jumped to the ground, ready to defend their Trainer.

“Zangoose!” the opposing Pokémon roared. Its aura flared angrily, and it slashed its claws at the ground in intimidation. Long, deep gouges appeared on the concrete ground. Michael began to panic; there was no way they’d survive an encounter with such a vicious Pokémon.

“That’s quite enough of that,” a voice said firmly, cutting through Michael’s haze of fear for his Pokémon. He glanced in the direction the voice had come from and saw three men. One was incredibly short and wore a purple cloak; the other two wore blue or red with a black robe falling to their ankles.

“Pokémon aren’t meant to be used in such a manner. Choose your place and time,” the old man continued wisely.

“Shut it!” Zook snapped. “Hey, meddling senior citizen, take your preaching to someone who cares! Or do you want me to pound you, too?”

The blue bodyguard took offense to the statement and said quietly, “Mr. Verich, perhaps I should…” The old man, Mr. Verich, gave a nod of consent, and the bodyguard stepped in front of Zook and the Zangoose.

Michael began to panic again. _There’s no way he’ll be able to beat that Zangoose, not with a normal Pokémon!_ He opened his mouth to warn the man of the danger—

“Hah? And who do you think you are?” Zook interrupted, responding to the new threat. “So now you’re going to play the man and stop me? This gets better by the minute! Let’s see you try!” Zook’s nasty grin widened. “Zangoose! Tear him apart!” The Shadow Pokémon dashed forward, yowling. Its aura blazed brightly, accentuating the bloodlust in its eyes. Michael had no doubts that it would tear the bodyguard to pieces. It was a terrifying sight.

A Pokéball appeared in the bodyguard’s hand from his sleeve, and the Alakazam inside was summarily released. “Psychic,” the man said softly. The Alakazam attacked Zangoose with a massive blast of psychic energy, causing the Zangoose to shriek in pain as both its mind and body were assaulted. It was launched into a pile of crates. Its feet stuck in the air, twitching; it was undeniably unconscious. Michael gaped at the stoic Psychic-type, his mind in a whirl. That Alakazam was _powerful_ , to faint the Shadow Pokémon in a single hit like it did!

Zook’s bravado disappeared the instant his Zangoose had been blasted into the crates. “Y-your power… Where does it come from?!” he stammered as he recalled the Pokémon. When the bodyguard did nothing other than recall his Alakazam, Zook scowled. “You’ve done it now! Don’t think you’re getting away with messing with the great Zook! Remember this!” The thug stomped away angrily.

“Should I give chase?” the bodyguard queried.

“No, no. That won’t be necessary, Ardos. He won’t come back. Leave him be,” Verich said.

“Yes, sir.” Ardos’ gaze lingered on Michael and the Pokémon at his feet for a moment before the bodyguard took his place at Verich’s right shoulder.

“Let us be on our way.” The trio turned to leave.

Michael watched as they walked away silently, still dazed. He glanced back the way Zook had run off and came to an epiphany. _A trainer would steal a Shadow Pokémon not only to save it from itself and its masters, but also to protect bystanders and the trainer’s own Pokémon…_

Using the Snag Machine suddenly didn’t seem so objectionable anymore.

“Uh… Thank you!” Jovi called, shaking Michael out of his musings.

Verich turned around and chuckled. “That hardly deserves such gratitude, my little lady. We did only what had to be done. Nothing more.” With that, the trio resumed their journey uninterrupted, despite the awe of the onlookers that had gathered to watch the spectacle. Michael hadn’t even noticed them gather.

He also hadn’t noticed the headache he’d gained from the Aura Reader, which automatically shut off when a new Shadow Pokémon wasn’t in range. His head throbbed, and he stifled a pained groan. The more powerful the aura, the more severe the headache, he presumed unhappily.

 “Jovi?” someone called. “Is that you, Jovi?!” Michael glanced around and saw a lady and an orange-haired child approaching them from the ring of spectators that had formed during the altercation.

“Oh! Emili and Acri!” Jovi exclaimed. Teddiursa started growling at the new arrivals, but Michael averted the possible bloodshed by scooping up the Little Bear Pokémon. Apollo jumped back onto Michael’s shoulders, seeing no more possible threats.

“Jovi!” Emili cried, running up to her friend and hugging her.

“So it was you, Jovi, being harassed by that big, strange man. Are you okay?” Acri asked while visually searching for injuries.

“Yup, strong people helped us. Big brother was there, too, so nothing bad happened. Jovi came here on an important visit. Big brother is Jovi’s assistant today!” Jovi replied. Michael grimaced, but since his sister had latched onto the idea, there was nothing he could to dissuade her.

“Oh, you must be Jovi’s brother Michael. I’m glad we finally met!” Acri said, offering her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Acri,” Michael said politely, shaking the hand.

“I’m Emili. Hi, Jovi’s big brother!” Emili waved at Michael, who grinned at the girl’s enthusiasm. Emili and Jovi began chattering about the online Trainer simulator Michael had seen on his computer, so he conversed some with Acri to pass the time.

“How did Jovi and Emili meet each other?” Michael asked, curious. He’d gone to Gateon Port for some short shopping trips with his mother and for the short, disastrous time he’d spent in the schools of Gateon Port, but he didn’t know when the two girls met.

“We were touring the HQ Lab and Emili wandered off. Jovi found her and took her to her room, and by the time I found Emili, the two were already playing with Jovi’s dolls, thick as thieves. Jovi has been a very nice friend to my daughter Emili,” Acri smiled nostalgically. “Anyway, I know that Jovi wants to compete in contests when she gets older; what do you want to do?”

 “Hmm… either be a scientist or a wandering Pokémon Trainer in one of the other regions,” Michael replied before scratching Apollo’s ears fondly. Michael then began to scratch behind Teddiursa’s ears, but realized with a jolt that the Little Bear Pokémon had dozed off. Michael smiled. Teddiursa had to be improving, if it trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms. Realizing that the loud port wasn’t an easy place to sleep in, Michael returned Teddiursa to its Pokéball.

“I’m no professional, but your Pokémon look very happy with you. May I?” Acri queried, reaching out to Apollo.

“Sure.” Acri stoked the Eevee and was rewarded with a happy lick. Michael considered politely asked to be let go so that he and Jovi could go pick up the machine part, but, instead, he asked a question that had been nagging him for a while: “Do you know anything about the people that saved us?”

“That elderly gentleman’s name is Mr. Verich. He comes here by boat with his two assistants occasionally.” Acri’s voice took on a dreamy quality. “There’s something mysterious about him, don’t you think? He’s supposed to be fabulously wealthy. Rumors like that give me shivers! I’m hoping to become a novelist,” Acri explained, “Whenever I come across anything mysterious, I try to imagine a story around it. But anyway, be careful in this town. There are lots of rough customers about.” Acri hesitated for a moment before addressing her daughter. “Emili, we should be going. It was nice talking with you, Michael.”

“Aww… Can’t Jovi and I talk some more, Mommy?”

“Jovi’s on an important errand. We don’t want to distract her,” Acri said gently.

“Okay,” Emili sighed. “Bye-bye, Jovi!”

“See you, Emili!” Emili and Acri walked off, leaving Jovi staring after them wistfully.

“Jovi, can you show me to the Parts Shop?” Michael reminded her. Jovi brightened and turned to dash off, but, remembering the last time Jovi had done so, Michael grabbed her shoulder and said, “You know, Jovi, it might be a good idea if I take the lead now.”

“Okay, big brother. It’s this way, by the rotating bridges,” Jovi said, guiding her brother through the haphazardly placed buildings to the Parts Shop. It was an oddly shaped building – half was circular, and the other half was rectangular. A spinning effigy of a scooter was perched atop the circular portion of the shop.

After entering, Apollo raised his nose in the air and carefully sniffed. The air smelled of grease, gasoline, and metal. Michael glanced around for Makan, but the old man wasn’t present. There wasn’t anyone at the cash register, either.

“Excuse me,” Michael said, tapping the shoulder of a browsing customer. “Do you know where Makan is?”

The boy turned to Michael, looking slightly annoyed. “No. The shopkeeper wasn’t thinking straight when he got that clueless newbie to look after the shop.” The boy jerked his thumb at a man standing nervously in front of what looked to be the doors leading to storage. “Now me, a regular customer, would be able to serve customers a lot better,” the boy complained, but Michael wasn’t listening. He and Jovi couldn’t pick up the machine part. Great.

With nothing else to do, Michael approached the man watching the store. Perhaps he knew something of Makan’s whereabouts. “Hi, did you want something here?” the man questioned.

“Jovi and big brother need a machine part,” Jovi piped up.

“Well, the shopkeeper’s out right now. He said something about having to go out to Dr. Kamin… uh… what was it now? Well, to that doctor’s manor is where he went.” Michael raised an eyebrow. Makan was still there?

The man continued, “He said his grandson Perr will be back from repairing the rotating bridges, so I’m supposed to mind the shop until then. But I don’t know where anything is or how to ring up a sale or anything. I have no clue what to do!” He sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, though. It’s really quiet here. I’m getting awfully bored, really.” The man then perked up as an idea occurred to him. “If you’d like, how about you help me while some time away? I’ve got a tale to tell that you may find interesting.”

“Jovi says yes! Can we listen to the story, big brother?” Jovi turned her puppy-dog eyes on full blast at her brother.

Michael shrugged. “Why not? We don’t really have anything better to do at the moment.”

The man smiled. “When I was younger, I sailed all the world’s seas as a navigator. Our world is huge! And this world is filled with an incredible profusion of Pokémon. Of all the Pokémon in our world, the one that I found to be most interesting is Eevee.” Both Apollo and Michael perked up upon the man’s admission, causing him to smile. “Now, Eevee is a unique Pokémon. It can evolve into eight different kinds of Pokémon, you see, though I believe it has the ability to evolve into more than that. While I sailed, I studied Eevee quite exhaustively. As a result, I obtained five of the items that are the keys to some of Eevee’s evolutions.”

“Vee vee eevee? Eevee vee!” Apollo exclaimed, drawing the man’s attention.

The man smiled broadly at Apollo’s enthusiasm. “May I examine your Eevee, please?”

Apollo slid from Michael’s shoulders to his arms and was then handed to the Eevee-loving sailor. The man stroked Apollo’s fur while absentmindedly mumbling to himself. “Such soft fur… groomed, obviously… Fed well with Pokéfood… some Berries, too, for the coat’s luster…” After several minutes of analysis, the man concluded, “Your Eevee is obviously very well cared-for and happy! Meeting an Eevee trainer like you is such a fortuitous coincidence! This must have been meant to happen! Well, let me commemorate this occasion by giving you one of the five items.” The man reached inside his coat and drew out a small pouch.

“But – I mean – there’s no need to give me one of the evolutionary items,” Michael spluttered, taken aback that a complete stranger would offer something so valuable to him.

The sailor was adamant. “There’s no need to be shy about it. Go ahead! Choose one!” The man laid out the five items on the counter meant for purchases. Apollo jumped onto the counter and sniffed the stones.

“Wow, so pretty…” Jovi breathed, staring, enraptured, at the stones.

“Well, if you insist…” Michael said. “Which item evolves Eevee into which evolution?”

The man held up a blue stone with what looked like bubbles trapped within. “This is a Water Stone. It evolves Eevee into Vaporeon.” A greenish-yellow stone with a lightning bolt design was displayed next. “Thunder Stones evolve Eevee into Jolteon.” Next, a yellow stone with an orange flame. “A Fire Stone plus an Eevee equals a Flareon.” A shiny, grayish-black stone with many facets. “A Moon Shard and the Dark-type, Umbreon.” Last, a burgundy stone in the shape of a sun. “A Sun Shard will help your Eevee evolve into Espeon.”

“Wow… I really don’t know which to choose,” Michael gasped as he held the Water Stone and Moon Shard up to the light. He closely examined the Thunder Stone, weighed the Fire Stone with his hands, and fingered the Sun Shard’s ridges. All the while, he was contemplating the pros and cons of each evolution, as he’d researched each one exhaustively.

_Vaporeon, a Water-type; Ability: Water Absorb. Strong against Rock, Ground, and Fire; weak against Grass and Electricity. Good stamina, special attack, and special defense; bad attack, defense, and speed. Jolteon, an Electric-type, Ability: Volt Absorb. Strong against Water and Flying; weak against Ground; ineffective against Ground. Good special attack, special defense, and speed; bad stamina, attack, and defense. Flareon, a Fire-type; Ability: Flash Fire. Strong against Grass, Ice, Bug, and Steel; weak against Water, Rock, and Ground. Good attack, special attack, and special defense; bad stamina, defense, and speed. Umbreon, a Dark type; Ability: Synchronize. Strong against Psychic and Ghost; weak against Fighting and Bug; impervious to Psychic. Good stamina, defense, and special defense; bad attack, special attack, and speed. Espeon, a Psychic-type; Ability: Synchronize. Strong against Poison and Fighting; weak against Dark, Ghost, and Bug. Good special attack, special defense, and speed; bad attack, defense, and stamina._

_They all have equal value… I can’t single out any of them._

Finally, he said, “I can’t decide. Apollo, you choose. You’re the one who’s evolving, anyway.”

“Vee?” Apollo trotted up and down the line, then flicked the Thunder Stone and Fire Stone away with his tail.

“Er, you can’t be both Jolteon and Flareon, little one,” the sailor pointed out.

“No, I think he’s just narrowing down the selection,” Michael refuted. “Right, Apollo?”

“Vee!” The Water Stone was next to go, nudged away with a cautious paw.

“So, a choice between the Dark-type Umbreon and the Psychic-type Espeon,” Michael murmured. “Choose one, Apollo.”

Finally, Apollo gripped the Sun Shard with his teeth and pulled it close, leaving the Moon Shard looking rather lonely on the counter.

“So, you’ve chosen the Psychic-type Espeon, eh?” the sailor said, returning the Moon Shard to the bag. “Good choice. You can have the Sun Shard. Just like Apollo, it’s invaluable!”

Jovi suddenly gasped, causing Michael and the sailor to look at her strangely. “Espeon fits Apollo!” she declared, eyes sparkling.

The man caught on to her line of thinking. “That’s right! Apollo is the name of the ancient god of the sun, is it not?”

“That’s right…” Michael said softly, feeling rather forlorn and lost. That’s what _he_ had said when Michael had gotten Apollo…

 “Vee?” Apollo questioned as Michael stroked his thick fur absentmindedly. He gestured to the Sun Shard to help his Trainer understand what he was asking, misinterpreting Michael’s melancholy.

“I would have been fine with any one of your evolutions. That’s why I let you choose, Apollo,” Michael said before slipping the Sun Shard into his bag.

“You’re so lucky, big brother! Jovi wants something, too!” Jovi whined, staring longingly at the bulge in the sailor’s coat where the pouch containing the other evolutionary stones was located.

“I have one more thing to say about that Sun Shard,” the sailor said seriously. “Like a normal evolutionary stone, that Sun Shard will make an Eevee evolve into the Pokémon Espeon. But unlike normal evolutionary stones, the Sun Shard and Moon Shard do not have enough energy to evolve a Pokémon on contact. Therefore, Apollo has to have enough innate energy to trigger the evolution, either by battle experience or a hard-to-find item called a Rare Candy. Doing this during daytime hours is best, as it is the Sun Pokémon; I would have said the opposite, had you chosen Umbreon.”

“Alright. Thanks for the advice.” Michael focused on Apollo again. “I guess that means that we’ll have to wait for a little bit before you can become an Espeon, then, buddy.”

“Vee…” Apollo said sadly before returning to his favorite resting spot: Michael’s shoulders.

Jovi, jealous that Michael and Apollo had stolen the limelight, suddenly piped up, “Where did Mr. Nice Man say Parts Shop guy was?”

“Er, Dr. Kam… something. The doctor’s house.”

“No, here in Gateon Port!”

“Oh, you mean Perr? He’s repairing the rotating bridges.”

“Okay, big brother! Let’s go to the rotating bridges!” Jovi declared before dashing out of the shop.

“Wait, Jovi!” Michael ran out of the shop after her, but paused at the door of the Parts Shop and hurriedly said, “Thank you for the Sun Shard, Mr.…?”

“Evon. Call me Evon.”

“Right. Thanks, Mr. Evon!” The door to the shop slammed shut behind Michael’s retreating figure.

Michael found Jovi sitting on one of the docks with her feet dangling over the water. “Jovi can see Perr, but Perr is still fixing the rotating bridges. Perr can’t go back to the Parts Shop yet,” she said sourly, pointing at a figure leaning over the edge of one of the Rotating Bridge segments. A toolbox was sitting near the figure, and he occasionally reached into it for a tool of some sort. After a few minutes of waiting, the figure slid back onto the circular control of the bridge. He stepped onto an unseen panel and caused an entire section of bridges to rotate. He looked pleased, then he grabbed his toolbox and sauntered to shore. As he drew nearer, Michael realized that the figure was a teenager covered in grease.

“Whew… That settles that! All fixed!” he breathed to himself.

“Excuse me?” Michael said, catching the teenager’s attention. “Are you Perr, one of the owners of the Parts Shop?”

“Yeah, the Parts Shop is ours – mine and my grandpa’s,” Perr confirmed.

“Jovi and big brother are here to pick up a machine part, but no one was at the Parts Shop!” Jovi said.

Perr blinked. “Huh? Where’s Grandpa?” He then groaned and held up one of his hands like a stop sign. “Wait, don’t tell me. He’s gone off to Dr. Kaminko’s…” Perr facepalmed. “Arrrgh! When my grandpa gets excited over some mechanical thing, he’s off like a shot, never mind the shop or his grandson, me.” Perr sighed in exasperation. “I’ll find that machine part you need. Can I get you to come to our shop?” Perr then stomped off, grumbling, “Man, Grandpa should be so lucky to have a caring grandson like me looking after him.”

Michael couldn’t help himself and grinned. “Come on, Jovi. Let’s get back to the Parts Shop.”

By the time the siblings had returned to the Parts Shop, Perr had situated himself behind the checkout counter and Evon was nowhere to be found. “Sorry we were out,” Perr apologized as they approached. “A Machine Part, you said, right?” He opened the safe behind the counter using a complex numeric sequence and a fingerprint scanner, withdrew a bulky package, and then engaged the safe’s unique triangular spinning lock again.

“Here it is, here it is. This is it.” Perr checked a thick log book, then continued, “Pre-paid and everything. Alright, then; here you go!” He slid the package across the counter to Michael, who tucked it under one arm. “It’s a rare item, that machine part. It took a while to get the order in. Not many people actually need something like this…”

“Jovi doesn’t know what the machine part does. Does Mr. Nice Mechanic know what it is?”

Perr fished around under the counter and withdrew a catalogue for mechanics. He flipped through it and finally stopped on one of the last pages before holding the catalogue out for Michael and Jovi to see. Apollo leaned over Michael’s shoulder, eyeing the image with interest.

Pointing out what looked like a rod with joints dividing it into four equal parts, Perr explained, “This Machine Part can be attached to a motor to be spun around. The two different segments can be lifted and moved about freely via remote control. They’re usually used with robotic waiters in restaurants, so you can understand that we were surprised when the HQ Lab ordered one with nine segments instead of just two. How’s your director, Professor Krane, doing?” Perr queried as he put the catalogue away and began to tinker with a small mechanical gizmo.

Michael flinched. “He was doing just fine, until he was abducted by some armored weirdoes with a Shadow Pokémon.”

Perr dropped the device he’d been fiddling with. “What?!” he spluttered. “A Shadow Pokémon? That’s just great… I’ve been through something like that before, but who would’ve thought it’d happen again?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I hope the Lab Director’s found…”

Before Michael could thank Perr for his concern, the TV bolted to the wall flickered on.

“Oh, the ONBS news must be on,” one of the customers said, turning to the screen.

The female anchor seemed to be slightly disturbed by her report. “We bring you a breaking news item! An unidentified gang swarmed the Pokémon HQ Lab and abducted Professor Krane, the head of operations.” Gasps arose from the customers. “We have unconfirmed reports that one of the alleged perpetrators used a Shadow Pokémon during the raid. We also have a low-quality clip from the scene of abduction.” The reporter’s visage faded out, to be replaced with a grainy view of the front of the Lab from one of the security cameras. Michael realized with a jolt that he was watching an extremely fuzzy version of himself running out and Snagging an unidentifiable Shadow Teddiursa. He averted his eyes and rubbed Apollo’s head reassuringly as his TV self staggered in the wake of the kidnappers’ escaped vehicle. The reporter then reappeared on the screen, analyzing the clip, before stating, “We will bring you updates on this story as the news breaks.” The TV’s screen went blank. Worried murmurs broke out in the shop.

Perr glanced between the screen and Michael multiple times. “That was you on TV, wasn’t it?”

Michael nodded, throat too dry to speak. Having his failure thrown back in his face was _not_ something he wanted to deal with. Jovi clung to her brother, trying to put on a brave face. Apollo just looked miserable.

Perr suddenly blinked rapidly and bent over the counter, staring at Michael’s left arm. “Well, I’ll be,” Perr breathed. “That’s a Snag Machine on your arm, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Michael croaked. “Professor Krane gave it to me just before he was kidnapped. How did you recognize it?”

“Something like this happened five years ago,” Perr explained, leaning on the counter and steepling his fingers. “In an incredibly rash move, one guy with a Snag Machine – a Snagger, as he was called – and one girl with the ability to see a Shadow Pokémon’s Aura went around snagging all the Shadow Pokémon to bring down the criminal organization that was making them. Their names were Wes and Rui, I believe.”

Apollo’s ears perked up, and he looked at the mechanic with astonishment. Michael echoed his Pokémon’s shock. “You’re kidding.”

“Not one bit, kid.” Perr paused and looked thoughtful. “You know, I never caught your name.”

“It’s Michael.”

Perr nodded, then glanced out a window set into the wall. The light pouring in from outside had taken on an orange hue, signifying late afternoon. “Well, Michael, I suggest you get back to the Lab. Whatever experiment they’re using it for has to be critical, if they’re still working on it with Krane missing.” Perr paused before adding, “I’ll be rooting for both you and the authorities to find the Director. Good luck.” Perr held out his greasy hand.

Michael shook the hand without hesitation, managing a grim smile. “Thanks, Perr.” Turning back to the rest of the shop, Michael called, “C’mon, Jovi! Let’s go home.”

Jovi, who had been wandering around the shop and asking the customers what the various devices displayed were, hurried back to her brother. “Okay, big brother!”

Michael, Jovi, and Apollo left the shop and emerged into the late-afternoon sun. As they passed by groups of people chattering, Michael stopped dead as he picked out the words, “Kilen’s super-strong Pokémon”. He may have just been paranoid after the incident with Zook and the Shadow Zangoose, but if not… well, Lily could hardly be mad if he found and snagged another Shadow Pokémon instead of promptly returning home.

“Vee eevee!” exclaimed Apollo. So he’d heard it too, apparently.

“Hang on Jovi,” Michael called to his sister, who hadn’t noticed that she’d left him behind.

She turned around and, noticing that her brother was no longer beside her, hurried back. “What is it, big brother?”

“I just want to check something out. It’s probably nothing, but better safe than sorry,” Michael grunted. He glanced around and saw a small group of disgruntled-looking Trainers standing by a Pokémon Center and ran over.

“Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” Michael began politely. “Did you say something about a super-strong Pokémon?”

“Yeah,” one of the female Trainers grumbled. “Kilen’s gotten her paws on this really strong Pokémon and is beating all the rest of the trainers with it. I don’t know where she got it.”

“Do you know where I could find her?”

“She usually hangs out on top of the lighthouse. Why? Are you gonna challenge her?” The Trainer eyed Michael speculatively. “You can’t possibly be strong enough to beat her.”

“I’m sure I’ll be just fine,” Michael assured her, thinking of the Shadow Teddiursa stored on his belt.

“Is big brother going to see if there’s a Shadow Pokémon?” Jovi whispered.

Michael eyed her, unaware that someone had told her about the nature of Shadow Pokémon. “Yeah. I might be overreacting, but better safe than sorry. Let’s go, Jovi.” Michael headed toward the Rotating Bridges, as they were the only way to reach the lighthouse without swimming.

“Let Jovi hold the machine part,” Jovi said suddenly, tugging at the package under her brother’s arm.

“It’s heavy, Jovi,” Michael warned. “Why do you want it, anyway?”

“Big brother needs both arms for battling,” Jovi argued, yanking at the package again.

Michael sighed. Jovi had a point. His left arm was taken up by the Snag Machine, and he didn’t want to risk throwing occupied Pokéballs with it in case the Snag Machine’s programming did something to the Pokéball and/or the Pokémon inside. “Okay, but be _very_ careful with it, understand?”

Jovi quickly nodded. “Jovi will be very careful with it!” she exclaimed, and the Machine Part changed hands.

“Let’s go.” Michael and Jovi walked onto the rotating bridges. It took Michael a few tries to align the bridges in the way he wanted, but the two made it to the lighthouse without too much trouble.

The double doors of the lighthouse slid open at Michael’s touch, allowing the siblings and Pokémon access inside. The first thing Michael noticed was a decrease in temperature. Then he glanced about and saw the floor strewn with trash. “Hey, what’s this?” he wondered, picking through discarded food wrappers until he uncovered the red he’d spotted. “Hey, this is a Pokéball!” It was slightly dirty, but it looked fully functional, so Michael tucked it into his bag.

“That’s nasty, big brother,” Jovi said, wrinkling her nose.

Michael chose to ignore that statement and queried, “Apollo, would you be willing to find any more useable stuff among this junk?”

“Eevee!” Apollo slid off Michael’s shoulders and landed in a pile of trash, nose twitching. “Vee!” The Eevee weaved around the mounds of junk until he came to a stop in front of the back wall. Two more Pokéballs sat there, dusty and held in place by multiple cobwebs, but they still looked useable. Apollo led Michael to a partially buried Parlyz Heal, but after the find, it seemed as if there was nothing left of value on the floor.

“Can Jovi use the elevator now, big brother?” Jovi groaned, but Michael had gotten an odd gleam in his eye that bespoke trouble.

“Jovi?” Michael said, utterly calm. “We’re not taking the elevator.”

“Huh? Big brother?”

“Come on!” Michael pushed her up the stairs from behind, eliciting a startled yelp.

“Big brother! Jovi is not going up the stairs!”

“Yes, we are! Think of it as good exercise!”

“Vee!” Apollo agreed, dashing in front of the struggling siblings eagerly.

Michael did end up dragging an unwilling Jovi all around the various floors of the lighthouse and was rewarded with one Potion and one Awakening as a result.

“Big brother could’ve gotten those at a Pokémart,” Jovi grumbled.

“Why buy them when you could get them for free? I don’t care how dirty they are,” Michael rebuked, which shut her up effectively.

The siblings and Apollo finally made it to the top of the lighthouse, panting. Jovi looked furious. “Jovi and big brother are taking the elevator on the way down,” she snapped, brooking no argument.

“Vee eev eevee,” Apollo gasped, which shifted Michael’s attention from his sister to the scenery.

“Amazing,” Michael breathed, approaching and leaning on the railing.

The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, broken by the occasional island. A couple of Seel basked contently on rocks in the sun, their female trainers sunbathing further inland. Looking out to the horizon, Michael saw an island shrouded by dark clouds and ringed by what looked like cruel waves. Circling the lighthouse, Michael was able to look down upon the entirety of Gateon Port. Rolling hills, rivers, and forests, dominated the landscape further inland. A strong wind disheveled Michael’s hair and clothing the longer he stood on top of the lighthouse.

“The view up here is incredible, big brother!” Jovi gasped, leaning over the railing.

“It is, isn’t it?” Michael agreed. “What do you think, Apollo? Apollo?” The moment broken, Michael scanned the lighthouse’s deck, searching for the Eevee. “Apollo!”

“Vee vee!” the call was faint, barely audible over the wind, but Michael immediately rushed around the light room protruding from the deck that blocked his view. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Apollo unharmed, but he was rather unhappy that the Eevee was sitting in a female bodybuilder’s arms, apparently too intimidated to try to get away.

“Is this your Eevee?” she asked gruffly. Michael nodded mutely, and the woman set Apollo on the ground. He immediately ran back to his Trainer and nuzzled him affectionately.

The woman eyed Michael speculatively. “You’re a trainer, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. What’s it to you?” Michael asked warily.

The bodybuilder gave a wicked grin. “Good. The name’s Kilen, and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. So this was Kilen, the trainer with the tough Pokémon. “I accept,” he replied, throwing a little bit of money on the ground as a wager. Kilen did likewise.

“Let’s get this party started, shall we? Go, Zubat and Poochyena!” Michael stiffened as the Aura Reader beeped in warning, sliding in front of his eye (and giving him the beginnings of a nasty headache). So Kilen _did_ have a Shadow Pokémon: the Poochyena! Michael immediately tensed in the nervous anticipation of snagging it, this time without Krane’s supervision. He took a deep breath; no use getting worked up about it and losing the battle in his distraction, after all.

“Shall we, Apollo?” The Eevee dashed out to confront the opposition. Michael then threw out Teddiursa’s Pokéball, hoping that the Pokémon wasn’t still napping. Luckily, it wasn’t.

“Ready for our first battle together, Teddiursa?”

“Ursa!” it cried, pumping its fist in the air. Michael was pleased to note that its aura had subsided quite a bit in the past couple of hours they’d been in Gateon Port.

Kilen seemed amused. “Ready?”

Michael responded with, “Eevee, Tackle Poochyena! Teddiursa, jump and Shadow Blitz Zubat!”

Kilen jerked at the command for the Shadow Move. This guy had a Shadow Pokémon, too? “Dodge the attacks, then follow up with Leech Life on Teddiursa and Shadow Hold!” The aggressive Shadow Poochyena jumped away from the charging Eevee, while the Zubat was too slow to avoid the airborne Shadow attack. It collapsed to the ground, quivering weakly. Kilen scowled as she returned it to the Pokéball.

Michael was surprised by the power behind the attack; he’d never one-hit KO’ed a Pokémon before. _Perhaps Shadow attacks are super-effective on regular Pokémon?_ he mused.

Just then, Poochyena barked angrily. Michael watched as its aura flared and rushed toward Apollo and Teddiursa. “Look out!” he cried, but his Pokémon had already been trapped within two bubbles of murky energy that had originated from the Poochyena’s aura. Michael realized with a jerk that the bubbles were perfectly visible without the aid of the Aura Reader – though the bubbles were brighter and less see-through in the Aura Reader’s vision.

“Ursa urs!” Teddiursa growled in frustration as it rammed against the bubble, unable to escape. Michael figured that Shadow Hold was a move that prevented the target Pokémon’s from escaping back to the trainer and from moving about easily, making attack and evasion difficult.

Kilen smirked. “Now, Poochyena, Shadow Blitz them as many times as necessary to defeat them!” Poochyena barked, then sped at Eevee, its aura darkening around it.

_How to salvage this, how to salvage this – oh!_ “When Poochyena nears, jump above it and follow up with a Tackle or Shadow Blitz!” After several rounds of running through the bubbles, which didn’t hamper Poochyena at all, all three Pokémon were panting heavily. Poochyena had sustained more damage than its opponents, though.

Michael gripped one of the Pokéballs tightly in his left hand. The circle on the blue panel was quickly completed. Several moments came and went that would have been perfect times to snag the Poochyena, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was nearly hyperventilating in a struggle between two different sets of ideals. Snagging was stealing; it was vile; it was just plain _wrong_ – but the Poochyena looked wild, angry, a _mindless fighting machine to be pitied and rescued_ – and Michael once more saw the Shadow Zangoose ( _terrifying bloodlust – it would kill him, he was sure_ ) as the Poochyena landed as particularly vicious blow on Apollo, knocking him to the ground. The Eevee struggled to get back to his paws; Michael could see him shaking. He couldn’t let the abuse continue.

Mind made up, Michael gripped the Snag Ball tightly, focusing solely on the battle in front of him. Nothing else mattered; he was perfectly calm. Michael waited patiently for an opportune moment – there! Poochyena had just staggered out of Teddiursa’s bubble, trying to shake off the effects of a successful Shadow Blitz. In a split-second decision, Michael decided to spin around in a flourish before chucking the Snag Ball at the Poochyena. Once again, his aim was off, but the Snag Ball just opened in midair like with Teddiursa and pulled Poochyena into the ball with a dark clawed hand. Kilen dumbly stared at the ball as Poochyena gave up the fight to escape and the ball stilled. The Snag Machine caused the Pokéball to fly back to Michael’s hand, and he had attached the ball to his belt before Kilen reacted.

“Y-you…” she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at Michael. “You stole my Pokémon! Give it back!!” She charged at Michael furiously, fists raised. Michael flinched back, raising his arms in an instinctual attempt to protect himself – but she was too fast and too strong; he’d never survive this attack—

“Ursa!” Teddiursa roared, jumping into the air to intercept the attack meant for his Trainer.

“No, Teddiursa!” Michael cried, realizing that Teddiursa was about to Shadow Blitz Kilen. He was surprised when Teddiursa restrained itself, its aura fading back to normal, and instead gave Kilen a sloppy Lick. She staggered away, shivering, then falling as she was paralyzed.

“Dammit,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

Michael stared at her prone form, frozen, before falling to his knees. He’d done as was expected; he’d snagged the Pokémon – and he’d nearly gotten pummeled for it. He couldn’t do this; he couldn’t steal trainers’ Pokémon! There was something fundamentally _wrong_ with the act, despite the benevolent intentions. It was so different than stealing a Pokémon from the armored kidnappers, who didn’t even seem to care about the fate of their Pokémon. He stared Kilen in the eyes, taking in all her anger and pain – _why did you steal my Pokémon?!_ – unable to move, unable to _breathe_ – the guilt was crushing, inflicting such pain on another person. He’d never snag another Pokémon again—

And Teddiursa came up and hugged him, comforting him as best as it could. It was touching, really, how a fighting machine with no feelings but hate and fear was able to overcome its handicaps to try and help him.

Another pair of arms folded around him from behind. “Big brother,” Jovi murmured into his hair, completely serious for once. A few seconds passed while she examined Kilen, who was struggling against her paralysis. Jovi continued, “You can’t let her stop you from rescuing the Pokémon.”

Michael shuddered. He didn’t even care that he’d broken down in front of his little sister. “I can’t do it, Jovi; I can’t steal someone’s partner and friend!”

“Then you’ll let the bad guys win!” Her arms tightened. “People that hurt Pokémon so much and people who use those Pokémon in battles don’t deserve to have them at all! Which is worse, letting the Pokémon suffer with people who don’t care or stealing the Pokémon to heal them?” Jovi pointed at Kilen. “ _She_ doesn’t care about anything except using Poochyena for battles. She doesn’t care that Poochyena’s hurting.” Kilen sent a withering glare in Jovi’s direction, which she unabashedly returned. “See how much good you’ve already done Teddiursa?”

Michael glanced down at the Little Bear Pokémon. It accentuated his sister’s words with an “Urs!”

“You’re too nice for your own good, big brother,” Jovi mumbled into his hair. “And remember what the Parts Shop Guy said? This has happened before. They were able to help the Pokémon.”

“Eevee vee,” Apollo called, drawing Michael’s attention. He didn’t know what the Eevee’s original purpose was, but Michael’s total attention was drawn to Apollo’s heavy limp. A thin stream of blood matted the fur of his right front paw, and it was obviously hurting the Eevee to move around, but he was still approaching his trainer anyway, determined to help.

_“They’re Pokémon that have been turned into mindless fighting machines after having their hearts closed by cruel artificial means. They’re to be pitied.”_

_“That is why we developed the Snag Machine – to take back such modified Shadow Pokémon.”_

_“Greedy people will always attempt to gain power, no matter the consequences.”_

_“Y-you…_ _You stole my Pokémon!”_

_“Which is worse, letting the Pokémon suffer with people who don’t care or stealing the Pokémon to heal them?”_

Michael’s brain finally started to work logically again. _These people… hurt Pokémon._ He thought of the Zangoose again. _They threaten everyone…_ He thought of Krane’s kidnapping and of Apollo’s injury. _…And they’ve badly hurt those I care about. They need to be stopped, no matter what._ He took a shuddering breath and gazed into Kilen’s enraged eyes again. _It won’t be easy… but I’ll do it. Someone has to, after all._

Michael shakily sighed. “That was way too close for comfort.” He smiled at Teddiursa. “Thanks for not Blitzing her, Teddiursa. And you learned a new move! Congratulations!” He hugged the Teddiursa, which seemed pleased that he’d satisfied Michael. “I’ll get you something good later.”

“Big brother!” Jovi cried, suddenly returning to her normal self. “Jovi saw the whole thing, and Jovi was so scared that big brother would be hurt…”

“I’m fine, Jovi,” Michael grunted. “Can you please let go? Not… breathing… When did you get so wise?”

“Jovi doesn’t know what big brother is talking about!” Michael eyed his little sister. She was more mature than she let on, sometimes.

Michael turned his attention back to his Pokémon. “You two deserve a good rest,” he said as he recalled them to their Pokéballs. He then collected the wager money from the ground and glared at the prone Kilen, who glared right back. The paralysis would wear off eventually, but for the time being, Michael was just glad that the muscular bodybuilder was immobilized.

As Michael and Jovi traveled down the lighthouse via elevator, Jovi speculated, “Jovi wonders if there are more Shadow Pokémon here.”

Michael looked at her, startled. “Well, yeah… I mean, Zook had one…”

“Jovi thinks that big brother should find all the Shadow Pokémon,” Jovi said seriously.

“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “You’ll have to hold the machine part.”

“Jovi can do it! Jovi will help the Shadow Pokémon!”

As the two exited the lighthouse, Michael let out Apollo and Teddiursa – he’d start bonding with the Shadow Poochyena back at the HQ Lab. “Alright, you two. We’ve got some tough battles ahead of us to find more Shadow Pokémon. You with me?”

“Vee!!”

“Ursa!!”

Michael pulled out two Potions from his bag and sprayed the contents on the two Pokémon, healing their wounds and restoring their energy. “Alright, we’re ready. Where do you think we should start, Jovi?”

“With that man over there!” she said, pointing to a middle-aged man loitering in the shadow of on outcropping of rock. Even from a distance, Michael could see the telltale red of Pokéballs sitting on his belt.

“But what about Zook?”

“What if that guy has a Shadow Pokémon?” Jovi challenged. Michael couldn’t deny her logic.

After hassling with the rotating bridges, Michael was finally able to approach the man. He looked rather pleased by Michael’s presence.

“Aye, welcome, youngster! No words need be spoken, no questions need be asked! We shall battle, yes?” he invited warmly.

“Ah… sure.”

“Aye, good answer! A battle with a feisty lad is one to be savored! Let’s go!” The man threw a wager on the ground and introduced himself. “My name’s Cyle. Let me acquaint you with Taillow and Ledyba!”

“Show him what you’ve got, Apollo, Teddiursa!”

As the Pokémon materialized, Jovi yelled, “You can do it, big brother!”

Michael stiffened as the Aura Reader responded, identifying the Ledyba as Shadow. This man had a Shadow Pokémon as well? That was two battles in a row that he’d faced Shadow Pokémon! “Hey, where did you get that Ledyba?” Michael called, intending to get some information from Cyle.

“Eh, I got it as a gift from a funny man in armor. Said it was special, with special moves. Like Shadow Shed!”

The Ledyba turned to glare at Cyle. “Oh, that’s right, that move can only be used when the opponent uses a defensive move. Uh, Shadow Blitz the Teddiursa and Growl, Taillow!”

“Dodge the Blitz, then follow up with one of your own on Taillow and Bite Ledyba!” Michael commanded. Teddiursa spun out of the way of Ledyba’s attack, then ignored its attacker and gunned for Taillow. Apollo, on the other hand, took advantage of Ledyba’s bad position and jumped on its back, delivering a solid Bite on the exposed flesh of its back while its wings were open. It squealed in pain and started flying around crazily to dislodge the pest from its back.

“Apollo! Drop!” Michael yelled, afraid that Ledyba would slam the Eevee against the rocks. Apollo jumped from the oversized ladybug and onto the safe ground.

Meanwhile, Taillow took flight to avoid Teddiursa’s Shadow Blitz, then cried out in a loud voice while glaring at its opponents and spreading its wings wide to appear larger. Both Apollo and Teddiursa shrank back, giving Cyle time to bark out his next order.

“Both of you, fly up high and dive-bomb Eevee with Peck and Shadow Blitz!” The Taillow and Shadow Ledyba took to the skies, far above jumping range.

“Apollo, Sand Attack! Throw off their aim, listen for their approach, and Bite! Teddiursa, use Shadow Mist to help!” Apollo kicked up a gritty cloud of dust, while Teddiursa created a cloud of sense-altering mist and used its aura to steer it toward the top of the dust cloud.

“Don’t attack!” Cyle yelled, but by then it was too late. Taillow and Ledyba had already begun to dive, beak sharp and ethereal aura blazing. The instant they passed into the greenish-purple cloud, they gave confused squawks and veered off course. Taillow emerged from the cloud, blinking rapidly.

“Go up! Go up!” The Taillow didn’t know what its Trainer wanted – it was already safely out of attacking range, right?

“Shadow Blitz!” Taillow was given a nasty surprise when it found that it was only a couple feet off the ground, and Teddiursa slammed into it hard, KOing it. Meanwhile, Apollo had located the Ledyba in the dust cloud and had attached himself to one of its legs. Ledyba, in a furious daze, flew out of the cloud… and headfirst into the rock. Apollo, thankfully, was spared that fate.

Michael had a Snag Ball ready and waiting by the time Ledyba slumped to the ground. “I really need to work on my aim,” he muttered; the Snag Ball had been a few feet above Ledyba’s head when it opened and the claw dragged the Bug Pokémon within.

There were a few moments of silence, during which Cyle recalled Taillow and Michael prepped himself to run as he clipped Ledyba’s ball to his belt, before Cyle said brightly, “Hmm… too bad! I guess I lost that one!” Michael stared at him in bewilderment. Did the man really not care what happened to his Pokémon?

“That machine you have on your arm, it’s quite the getup! The way the lights pulse and all, it’s mighty impressive, whatever it is! I thought for a second there you’d taken my Pokémon!” Cyle exclaimed, scooping up his wager before walking over and depositing the money in Michael’s hands, still grinning. Michael just nodded dumbly, hardly believing that Cyle didn’t realize what had happened to the Ledyba.

“Big brother did it!” Jovi squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. Michael twitched in surprise – in the adrenaline of the extended battle, he’d completely forgotten about his sister.

“Thanks, Jovi,” Michael smiled shakily before turning his attention to his Pokémon. “You guys did awesome.”

“Vee!”

“Ursa!” Both Pokémon looked pleased.

After scanning the port, Jovi declared, “Jovi thinks we should go there next!” Jovi declared, pointing to a Krabby-shaped building with bored sailors loitering outside.

“Oh, youngsters like you shouldn’t go there,” Cyle cut in, looking stern. “That place is the Krabby Club. It’s one of the roughest places in town, and where all the crude sailors with no work hang out. It’s no place for children.”

Michael’s eyes gleamed. In the fantasy novels he’d read and most of the RPG games he’d played, the seedy, dangerous taverns and inns were usually the best areas to gather sensitive information. Besides, if anyone tried to accost them, he’d sic Apollo and Teddiursa on him or her.

“Thanks for the warning,” he said to Cyle for courtesy’s sake. “Let’s get moving, Jovi.” Michael held out his right arm and Apollo used it as a springboard to get on Michael’s shoulders; Teddiursa was returned to its Pokéball.

As Michael and Jovi navigated the rotating bridges, Jovi asked, “Where are Jovi and big brother going now?”

“The Krabby Club.” Jovi smiled slyly. Apparently she had been thinking along the same lines as her brother.

The two approached the Krabby-shaped building, earning the curious gazes of more than a few people. Right as Michael and Jovi moved to enter, a sailor blocked their path.

“Now look here, boy. The Krabby Club is open only to tough Trainers. I suppose I could let you in if you beat me in a battle. Let’s go for it!”

The following battle was both short and easy; the sailor’s Wingull and Lotad were quickly defeated by two Bites and a Shadow Blitz. The sailor’s slow Pokémon were unable to dodge the attacks, and the Wingull even flinched from the first Bite. Afterwards, the sailor admitted that he had only challenged Michael because he was bored, but Michael didn’t mind.

Inside the Krabby Club, jazz music blared from speakers set on the side of an elevated stage, on which two magicians performed. From the sailors’ lovestruck mutterings, Michael learned that the girls onstage were Razell and Dazell. They were dressed somewhat skimpily, and from what Michael saw of the show, they could change the colors and numbers of the clubs they were juggling. The sailors were much too distracted by the show to impart any useful information, so Michael headed to the bartender, who was focused on cleaning one of the glasses.

The bartender looked up as Michael and Jovi approached. “Hey, now. You two are a bit young for alcohol.”

Michael rectified, “We’re just a bit thirsty. I’d like some unsweetened iced tea, some water for my Pokémon, and my sister would like…”

“Jovi wants milk.”

The man shrugged. “Sure.” In no time at all, the two drinks were given to Michael and Jovi, one of which set a bowl of water on the counter and let out the Teddiursa, while the other was watching the magicians with rapt enthusiasm.

“How much?” Michael questioned while rummaging around in his bag for some coins.

“Nothing at all.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really really.” The bartender grinned and explained, “Usually, if no ships come to the harbor, my business dries up. But thanks to Mr. Verich, business is booming! Every day, the man treats everyone to free meals and drinks. That Mr. Verich is like a bottomless sack of money!”

“Wow. What else do you know about him?”

“He comes here in his luxury cruiser every once in a while with his two assistants and bodyguards. I don’t think anyone knows where they go the rest of the time. Perhaps to one of the other regions? Oh, and he’s staying here.” The bartender gestured to one of the staircases set into the far wall.

Jovi snapped to attention. “Really? Mr. Nice Man is up there? Let’s go see him, big brother!” She grabbed Michael’s sleeve and dragged him off, much to the chagrin of his Pokémon, who had to run to keep up with her.

At the top of the stairs, Mr. Verich, his bodyguards, a sailor, and a bartender were sitting around a table on leather couches, playing poker. The blue-clad bodyguard, Ardos, rose smoothly from his seat and stepped in front of Jovi before she could get any further into the room.

Ardos said stiffly, “Please leave – hm? Oh, the kids from earlier.”

Jovi smiled and bowed. “Thank you, Mr. Cool Man. Jovi thanks you for saving Jovi earlier.” She elbowed Michael to do the same.

“Thanks. We would have been in trouble if you and Mr. Verich hadn’t come along,” Michael said. Apollo, who had clawed his way onto Michael’s shoulders via his clothes, barked in agreement. Teddiursa did nothing, simply staring up at the bodyguard in confusion.

Ardos elegantly arched an eyebrow. “Oh, is that all? That was merely putting a fool in his place. Don’t worry about it.” Michael frowned. He did not like this man, from his stoic visage to his cold attitude. “Now get on home, before you’re accosted by another fool.”

If Jovi was upset by her brusque dismissal, she didn’t show it. She simply led Michael back to the main floor of the Krabby Club, chattering about Razell and Dazell “Can Jovi watch more of Razell and Dazell’s show, big brother?” she queried as the magicians came into view.

“Sure. I have to ask the bartender something, anyway.” The two returned to the counter. Surprisingly, their drinks had not yet been removed. Jovi twisted in the stool, watching avidly as the magicians turned their top hats into sombreros and back again. This time, Apollo and Teddiursa joined her, awed.

“Excuse me?” After ensuring that he had the bartender’s attention, Michael asked, “Do you know anything about a thug named Zook? Wearing a red shirt, big muscles, menacing face?”

The man scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Eh, no. I know most of the people in town, so he must not be from around here.”

Michael sighed. “Well, thanks for the help,” he said, trying to keep the annoyance he felt out of his tone. “Come on, Jovi. We’ve got to go.” Michael ended up having to drag his sister out of the Krabby Club, nearly damaging the machine part. Only a quick save by Apollo prevented the device from crashing to the ground.

Michael and Jovi searched all over Gateon Port, but after finding the first two lucky Shadow Pokémon, there were no more Shadow Pokémon in the town. Zook had seemingly disappeared into thin air, leading Michael to believe that the thug had left town. A few Trainers challenged him, but they were easily defeated. One of the sailors Michael beat had wagered TM 45 – Attract, which Michael gleefully slid into the empty TM case in his bag. After battling multiple Trainers, Apollo and Teddiursa were completely worn out, so Michael stopped by the Pokémon Center for a quick healing. The nurse on duty, Heather, seemed disapproving of Michael for pushing his Pokémon’s stamina to the limit, but there was nothing he could do about her attitude.

As the sun lay low on the horizon, Michael took Jovi and his Pokémon to a restaurant that served human and Pokémon alike since he didn’t feel like eating at the Krabby Club – it was dark, it was noisy, and he’d have had to peel Jovi away from Razell and Dazell again. The restaurant they ate at was very picturesque; its wood was evenly whitewashed, the outdoor tables were elegantly made of glass and white-coated metal, and it had a perfect view of the ocean waters tainted orange and red by the sunset. Michael watched Apollo and Teddiursa gorge themselves sadly; he wished he could let Poochyena and Ledyba out to enjoy themselves, but Michael wasn’t sure if either was stable enough to be let out in public.

 “Jovi thinks that Mommy will be mad,” Jovi said softly as the two headed out of the port after their meal.

Michael winced. He hadn’t meant to keep Jovi and the all-important machine part in Gateon Port all day, and they’d be returning after nightfall. His mother would be furious. “You have the machine part, right?”

“Yup.”

As Michael unlocked his scooter, he noticed something lying on the ground. He bent over and picked up an unused Super Potion. _I hope no one misses that_ , he thought as he opened the compartment under the scooter’s seat and deposited the machine part within. Once Jovi had climbed onto the scooter behind him, he revved its engine and sped off into the deepening gloom.

 


	4. Chapter 3

Jovi gripped her brother tightly as twilight faded to dusk, the last streaks of light disappearing from the sky. As they entered the forest, and the light from the stars and moon was blotted out by the trees, Michael switched on the light on the front of his scooter. The arching tree branches above created eerie shadows.

Michael and Jovi made it back to the Lab in record time. He felt Jovi relax against him when she saw the familiar lights of the HQ Lab ahead. Michael relaxed as well, until he saw his mother and Aidan standing on the steps, one furious, the other worried.

“What were you doing?” Lily demanded the instant her son had parked his scooter in the front parking lot for guests.

“I got the machine part,” Michael appeased, opening the scooter’s compartment after Jovi had hopped off of the seat and holding up the package that contained the machine part for his mother to see.

“That doesn’t matter,” Lily snapped. “I’ve been worried sick about the two of you! Michael, you should know better than to loiter in Gateon Port! What were you thinking?! You could have been attacked, the machine part could have been stolen, or, worse, you two could have been kidnapped by the same men that took Professor Krane!”

“Jovi and big brother have a good reason for staying in Gateon Port,” Jovi hesitantly piped up.

“And what, pray tell, could be so important that you’d decide to risk yourselves and the completion of the Purify Chamber?”

“Shadow Pokémon,” Michael answered, showing off the two new Pokéballs on his belt.

“There were Shadow Pokémon in Gateon Port?” Aidan gasped.

“Yeah, a Poochyena and a Ledyba. There was a Zangoose, too, but the thug who owned it fled after being confronted by an extremely strong trainer,” Michael reminisced, his expression souring as he thought of Zook’s attack.

A scientist emerged from the glass dome of the main lab and shouted something about the machine part to Lily, who scowled.

“I’ll have to get the details of your trip later,” she sighed heavily, glancing back and forth between the lab and her children. “Don’t think you’re off the hook for this,” she warned. “However, the machine part takes priority. Can I have it?” Michael deposited the part in her arms. “I’ll take this to the Purify Chamber now…”

 “Oh! Jovi will take it!” Jovi volunteered, quickly bouncing back from the mild dressing-down she had received.

“It’s heavy, Jovi.” Lily warned.

“But Jovi carried it while big brother was looking for Shadow Pokémon!” the blue-haired girl pouted.

Lily sighed again. “I don’t have time for this,” she said as she handed the machine part to Jovi. “Don’t drop it.” Jovi gave an excited squeal and dashed into the main lab, Lily right on her heels.

Michael turned to follow them, but Aidan stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. “Oh, Michael. Could you wait just one second? I found some more memos I wrote up with the Director. I think you should have them,” the lab aide said as he handed Michael more packets of paper. “They’ll give you basic information about Shadow Pokémon. I’d like you to read over them at least once.”

“Thanks, Aidan. These will help a lot,” Michael said, flipping through the memos. He was pleased to see a memo dedicated to returning Shadow Pokémon to normal.

“Good; I’ve got to go now. Now that the machine part’s here, I will have to help calibrate the Sets and run diagnostics, among other things,” Aidan puffed while jogging backwards toward the main lab.

 Michael headed back to his room, excited about the memos he clutched in his hand. He was amazed to see that the bustling scientists hadn’t lost any of their energy, but he supposed the overused coffee machine in the lounge had something to do with the lack of fatigue.

After dodging all the busy scientists and arriving safely at his room, Michael lay down on his bed and began to thoroughly read the memos. The first was dated even more recently than the one about the Aura Reader he’d read earlier.

“ _Krane Memo 3: Re: The Snag Machine – The Aura Reader’s development made it possible to create a workable new Snag Machine using partial schematics obtained by the Snagger Wes, the man who brought down those who created Shadow Pokémon. We also realized that we could integrate the Aura Reader with the original Snag Machine. The Aura Reader can be made to prevent the Snag Machine from working if a regular, non-Shadow Pokémon is targeted. The likelihood of the Snag Machine being abused should therefore be diminished. However, one must always be vigilant. If the Snag Machine is out of the Aura Reader’s range, it can snag any Pokémon. It must be treated with caution!_ ”

_Well, that’s new_ , Michael thought as he flipped through the rest of the memo, which was filled with complex equations and schematics of the Snag Machine. _I wonder if the Snag Machine Wes used had the same restrictions?_ Then Michael grinned, as the next memo was all about purification.

“ _Krane Memo 4:_ _Re: Purification – Once captured, Shadow Pokémon must have their hearts reopened in a process called purification so that they may return to their normal state. We created a simple method to identify the stages of purification using the Shadow Meter, also called the Heart Gauge, which is split into five segments. Once the first and third segments are cleared, the Pokémon relearns moves it had forgotten. The Pokémon’s real personality starts to reveal itself after the second bar is cleared._

_“The previous best-known method of purification was to have the Shadow Pokémon spend time with a trainer and allow its heart to gradually reopen. However, because it required Shadow Pokémon to be with the trainer, this method placed a limit on the number of Pokémon that could be treated. We needed a process for efficiently purifying many Shadow Pokémon. Our studies in Agate led us to the idea of the Purify Chamber._ ”

_What would something so important to purification be doing in Agate Village? It’s a retirement village!_ Michael wondered as he scanned the rest of the memo. There were a few useful tips about purifying, such as the fact that a Pokémon’s personality would impact the rate of its purification and that each Pokémon reacted to different purification methods uniquely. However, most of the rest of the memo was written in such a messy scrawl that Michael could make neither heads nor tails of the words, which annoyed him greatly. After a while of trying to decipher the unreadable handwriting, he gave up and started reading the final memo he’d been offered.

“ _Krane Memo 5:_ _Re: The Purify Chamber – The Purify Chamber is a radical new concept that differs from the usual purification method of having Shadow Pokémon be with a trainer constantly. It represents a new approach that places Shadow Pokémon among regular Pokémon so that they become purified naturally. Much time is still needed to make this concept real. We need to acquire systems, collect data, and make adjustments. We eagerly look forward to seeing the Purify Chamber concept in operation._ ”

This memo was accompanied by detailed sketches of a very complex machine. Michael caught a few glimpses of the machine part he had picked up in Gateon Port. From what he could tell, it was at the center of the device, but he couldn’t comprehend anything beyond that from the sketches.

After folding and storing the memos with the ones he had received previously, Michael realized that he hadn’t seen Jovi. He peeked in her room, but found only her sleeping Plusle and Minun.

“She must have stayed to watch the Purify Chamber being built,” he muttered to himself. “Man, I hope she isn’t getting underfoot…” Michael jogged through the lab and followed the flow of scientists as they rushed to their destination, carrying machine parts or data readouts. He barely made it into a large, crowded lab near the foyer, one he’d never been allowed into before. He caught a glimpse of blue and threaded his way to it. Jovi stood to the side, watching in amazement as a horde of scientists clustered around something in the center of the lab.

“Jovi, you probably shouldn’t be here. It’s crowded enough as it is,” Michael said gently, tugging on Jovi’s arm.

“The machine part was put in the center. It must be the most important part!” Jovi replied absentmindedly, not reacting to her brother.

“It’s alright, Michael. I let her stay,” Lily cut in wearily, approaching from one of the computer consoles set against the walls. “Let’s get out of this lab; I need to talk with you.” She dragged her confused son out of the lab.

“Alright, Michael, how is Teddiursa doing? Purification progresses if a Shadow Pokémon spends time together with its Trainer, and you must have spent a lot of time with it in Gateon. Do you know what the Heart Gauge is?” Upon receiving an affirmative, she continued, “Has the Heart Gauge fallen to zero?”

“Well, I haven’t checked, but I don’t think so,” Michael replied, fingering Teddiursa’s Pokéball. “I’ll check, just in case.” He called out Teddiursa, which glared at Lily and stood in front of Michael protectively.

“It’s alright, Teddiursa,” Michael hurriedly asserted before his mother was attacked, bending down to scratch its ears. “She’s no threat.” Teddiursa calmed.

Lily raised an eyebrow. “That Teddiursa seems quite attached to you. I’m amazed at how quickly you were able to gain its trust.”

Michael’s lips twitched into a half smile as he activated the Shadow Meter function on the Aura Reader. “I guess you’re right… The first two bars have been cleared. In other words, no, Teddiursa’s Heart Gauge has not reached zero.”

Lily’s face fell. “Oh. But by the time the Purify Chamber is completed, the Heart Gauge should be down to zero. If the Heart Gauge has fallen to zero, Teddiursa is ready to open its heart. But that alone isn’t enough. To complete the process, the Pokémon needs to go through a purification ritual.”

“Huh?” Michael was confused. “Purification ritual?” _I wonder if this was in the unreadable part of the fourth memo…_

“It’s basically a ritual for a Shadow Pokémon to undo the final lock on its heart and return it to its natural state. If the Purify Chamber were ready, it could go through with the ceremony there, but… It looks like we’ll need a little more time to get it finished. Because of that, I think your Shadow Pokémon should go through the purification ceremony using a different process.” Lily chewed her lip, contemplating something.

“You know of Agate Village, right? In the village is the Relic Stone which has the power to restore Shadow Pokémon to their natural state,” she said.

_So that’s what Krane was referencing in his fourth memo!_ Michael thought. “Can I go there to finish purifying Teddiursa? Being somewhere more peaceful and less stressful might help lower the Heart Gauge.”

Lily sighed, as if she’d known this was coming. “It worries me to send you to such a far-off place by yourself, dear… But I also think it’s something that only you can do.” She glanced at Teddiursa, who was watching her closely while sitting comfortably in her son’s arms. “You can go.”

“Great!” Michael grinned. “Can you show me where it is on the map? I’ve never been there.”

Lily pulled out a handheld computer from her lab coat and pulled up a map of Orre. “Agate is southeast from here, but it’s not very close. Go see a man named Eagun there. The Relic Stone, which is used for the purification ceremony, is under his care. I will get in touch with him so that he knows you’re coming.”

“Okay. Eagun and the Relic Stone, right?” Michael confirmed.

“Yes. I will do my best to get the Purify Chamber finished while you’re gone. Please be careful, Michael,” Lily pleaded.

“Mom, you worry too much. I’ll be fine. I have Apollo with me.” Michael fingered the Eevee’s Pokéball fondly.

Lily looked unconvinced. “Alright.”

Michael blinked slowly as the fatigue from the day’s events suddenly caught up with him. “I’ll head out in the morning. I’m exhausted.”

“I’m not surprised,” Lily said. “Oh, and one more thing. The people of Agate will know much about Shadow Pokémon because of the Relic Stone. I will ask you: please do not pry into what they know. I’d rather you weren’t exposed to Orre’s dark side more than you already have been. Please promise me.”

Michael hesitated. So there were answers to his questions in Agate? But he couldn’t say no to his mother to her face… “Okay. I promise,” he lied, feeling guilty and resolving to keep his investigation low-key. But he was already involved with the situation way too deeply, and despite his mother’s wishes, he had a feeling he would need to know exactly what happened during the Shadow Incident five years ago.

A scientist called out to Lily from the lab, and she scowled, unsatisfied by the conversation. “I’ve got to get back to work. There’s still so much that has to be done…”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Michael walked sedately back to his room, Teddiursa still in his arms and growling at anyone who came within a five foot radius. Once he had gotten back, he set Teddiursa on his bed, let out Apollo, and changed into pajamas after carefully removing the Snag Machine from his left arm and the Aura Reader from his ear as Aidan had showed him and gently setting them on his desk. After getting ready for bed, including a quick shower, Michael gingerly fingered Poochyena’s and Ledyba’s Pokéballs.

“Before sleeping, I’m going to see if I can’t befriend these guys. It just doesn’t feel right to leave them in the dark for so long… Plus I need to tend to their wounds, since they were injured during the battles. Apollo, act like you did with Teddiursa. Teddiursa… just be nice, okay?” Michael said as he mentally scanned all the taming techniques he knew that would be effective.

“Vee!”

“Urs!”

“Alright, here goes nothing! Come on out, Poochyena and Ledyba!”

The two Pokémon burst from their Pokéballs in a flash of light, confused and disoriented. The instant they were able to focus on their surroundings, they backed up, growling a warning to stay away, spooked by their new handler. Michael felt a sense of déjà-vu as Apollo confidently trotted up to them and began happily barking. Teddiursa hung back near Michael, unsure of itself and feeling insecure.

The Poochyena finally barked something in agreement with Apollo and approached Michael warily, growling every once in a while. Teddiursa responded with snarls of its own, but Michael just waved off its concerns. He waited patiently as the Poochyena sniffed him cautiously, gripped his pant legs, and tugged. Michael sat on the ground, holding Teddiursa firmly in his arms when the Pokémon started snarling viciously.

“It’s fine. There’s nothing to fear. See?” Michael held out his hand to Poochyena to prove a point to Teddiursa, which backfired when the Bite Pokémon began snarling as well. Michael flinched when Poochyena sunk its teeth into his hand and shook its head, tugging. It hurt horribly, but Michael forced himself not to move and not to make a sound, otherwise the taming technique wouldn’t work. Teddiursa struggled violently against Michael’s firm grip and took a swipe at Poochyena. Finally, after a few seconds, Poochyena let go of Michael’s hand in confusion at the lack of negative response.

“See? Nothing to fear,” Michael smiled, ignoring the throbbing of his hand from the new bite marks and the old scratches. Poochyena stood still for a moment before licking the blood from the exposed skin and bandages on Michael’s hand. After finishing cleaning the blood, the Poochyena curled up at Michael’s side, ignoring Teddiursa’s threats. Michael stroked the newly docile Poochyena’s flank before looking up to locate the Ledyba. He saw Apollo, who was staring at him in amazement, but where had the Ledyba gone?

Something landed on Michael’s head, eliciting a yelp. Poochyena was alert in an instant, and the target of Teddiursa’s ire switched. Michael reached up with his right hand, and his fingers came into contact with Ledyba’s hard shell. It took a few minutes for Michael to calm his other Pokémon down once he realized that the Ledyba was just showing its acceptance of Michael because of the display with Poochyena. It seemed that this particular taming technique that he’d learned from his tutors was more effective than he’d thought. He had to be careful of which Pokémon to use it on, however. Thankfully, it had worked on Poochyena.

After tending to his Pokémon’s wounds, Michael clambered into his bed, exhausted, and smiled just before falling asleep when he felt three warm, fuzzy shapes and one hard shell curl up beside him.

____

Something poked him. It wasn’t particularly sharp, but it was annoying enough to rouse him from sleep. Annoyed, he grabbed ahold of it, gave it a good jerk, and threw it in the opposite direction of his bed. Someone gave a startled squeak, and he heard the sound of a door closing.

Perfect, he decided, and snuggled back down into the sheets.

His prolonged sleep was not to be, since the door banged open and his mother snapped, “Michael, get up!”

“Urgh,” he groaned as the sheets were thrown off of him, exposing him to the cool morning air. He opened his eyes, the light spilling from his open doorway causing him to squint until his eyesight adjusted. He blearily saw his mother and Jovi watching him, the latter holding a pointer that had been used to poke him. He wondered why they were looking at him so expectantly.

The prior day’s events crashed into him like a tsunami, and he bolted upright, swearing, “Crap! What time is it?” Apollo, who had been clinging to his pajama top, tumbled into his lap with a squeak. His three Shadow Pokémon shifted into defensive positions around him, his sudden movement not affecting them, since they’d been curled at his side.

“Language,” Lily reprimanded sharply. “And it’s almost nine in the morning.”

“I wanted to be up an hour ago,” Michael complained while rooting around in his dresser for clean clothes to wear, since the previous day’s clothes were in such a state that Lily wouldn’t let him out of his room wearing again, let alone visiting Agate. He finally settled on an outfit similar to the previous day’s, which he donned after taking a quick shower: blue sweatpants with a red stripe running down the sides, a black long-sleeved shirt with red stripes running down the sleeves, and a yellow vest. After carefully attaching the Aura Reader to his ear, reequipping the Snag Machine (which was a lot trickier to do when he had to put it on alone), and clipping his bag and Pokéballs around his waist, he dashed out of his room, followed by his four Pokémon and his mother, who was shouting something about breakfast.

He was halfway around the building when he spotted his scooter in his peripheral vision still parked in the visitor’s parking lot, where it had been left the previous night. Michael bounded over the fence and down the terraces. He recalled all his Pokémon in his haste and revved the engine in the scooter just before his mother caught up to him.

“And where do you think you’re going, young man? There’s no way you’ll function properly if you don’t have a proper breakfast!”

“I’ll get something at Agate! I’ll be fine, mom!” Michael replied, both touched and annoyed by her fussing.

Lily’s eyes softened. “Be careful, Michael.”

Michael just shot her a reassuring grin and sped off, only raising his hand to wave when he heard Jovi call, “Bye, big brother! Good luck!”

____

It took a couple hours of riding on his scooter steadily uphill, during which he almost got lost several times, before Michael drove across a wooden bridge and up a steep incline into Agate Village. After parking his scooter near the entrance in the space marked for guests, he slowly looked around, drinking in the sight of the village.

The village of Agate was high up in the mountainous region of Orre, surrounded by a blanket of clouds that obscured the lowlands. The occasional spire of rock and mountain top poked above the clouds, creating a picturesque landscape. The high altitude ensured that the air was thin, but it was very clean and fresh, unlike the air down at the HQ Lab, which was tainted with the smell of chemicals and exhaust. The village itself was built upon a series of terraces connected by ramps and bridges. It was very lush; water flowed everywhere in streams and waterfalls, and almost every surface was covered in green, from the grass on the ground to the slippery mosses on the rocks. Someone was playing a harmonica, which added to the homely feel of the stone buildings. Craning his neck upward, Michael could see the trunk of a large, old tree, whose roots jutted out from some of the terraces.

Michael snapped out of his sightseeing daze when an elderly couple approached him and greeted him enthusiastically.

_They must not get many visitors_ , Michael thought sadly. Before they could wander off, he asked, “Do either of you know where a man named Eagun lives?”

“Oh, you’ve come calling on Eagun?” the old man said. “You know the hollow tree at the top of the village?” Upon receiving an affirmative, he continued, “That’s Eagun’s house. But… he went out earlier and hasn’t returned. He went running off, shouting something about someone coming or not coming. I can’t quite remember, though,” he finished thoughtfully.

After thanking the man, Michael navigated through the village, which took longer than it should have because he had to find bridges to cross gullies and ramps to move from one tier of the village to the next. Eventually, though, he found himself at the front door of Eagun’s house.

Upon knocking, an old lady with her hair tied in a bun answered the door. “Hello! What a darling trainer you are!” she greeted. “I’m Beluh. Did you want something of me?”

“I’ve come to see Eagun.”

“Ah, so you’ve come calling to see my husband. Do you want to battle with him?”

“Er, no,” Michael said, confused by her response. “My name’s Michael. I was sent by the HQ Lab to see Eagun.”

Beluh’s face lit with excitement. “Ah, so you are Michael! We’ve been expecting you! Come in, come in!” She beckoned him inside, and Michael looked around curiously. The inside of the house was insulated, and the few visible parts of the bark of the tree that made up the house’s walls were mainly around the windows. Beluh, who had disappeared further into the house, emerged with a tray of tea and some pastries. Michael’s stomach took that as its cue to rumble, and he was reminded of the breakfast he’d skipped back at the HQ Lab.

“Come, sit down,” Beluh implored, gesturing to the couch. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Michael grinned, grabbing a few pastries and stuffing them in his mouth. Mid-chew, he froze as he realized something crucial. He swallowed, then blurted, “Are these Pokémon-safe?” Beluh just smiled knowingly and disappeared again, this time returning with a bowl of Pokémon food.

After settling himself and his Pokémon, Michael asked, “How did you know I was coming?”

Beluh replied, “We got word about you from Lily, you see. We understand that you want to purify Shadow Pokémon. The instant my husband heard from Lily, why, you should have seen his excitement and enthusiasm. Shouting, ‘This calls for my services!’ or some such, he went off running to who knows where. He hasn’t come back since.”

Michael was about to ask what she knew of Shadow Pokémon when the door crashed open, admitting a panting, yet lively old man sporting a long while beard and purple robes into the house. After regaining his breath, he said, “Beluh, dear! I’ve got everything ready! We’re ready for our visitor from the HQ Lab whenever he arrives… Oh?!”

Beluh’s lips twitched into an amused grin while she gestured to Michael. “Oh, hello, dear. Our guest, Michael, has arrived.”

The man replied excitedly, “Oh, so you’re Michael! We’ve been waiting! I’m Eagun!” Michael firmly shook the hand that accompanied the introduction. “I’ve heard everything that your mother had to say. As you know, to purify a Shadow Pokémon, it must open its heart to the trainer. While there are several approaches, battles are the best, no doubt at all! The place to do that here is in the Relic Forest, which is home to the Relic Stone. I will go ahead and wait for you there!” Eagun rambled excitedly before dashing out of the house again.

Beluh chuckled in amusement. “My husband is so impatient, as you’ve just seen. In his day, he was hailed as the greatest Trainer. But that’s a long time ago.”

_So that’s why she thought I wanted to battle him_ , Michael thought. As he stood and recalled his Pokémon, he asked, “How do I get to the Relic Forest?”

“Come with me. I will lead you there.”

After winding down through the village, Michael and Beluh reached the lowermost tier. He could see a dark tunnel with a man standing guard in front of it, but that was all. He and Beluh approached the man, who said as he moved aside, “Ah, you must be the Michael that Eagun was talking about. I’ve heard that you battle to open the hearts of Shadow Pokémon. The Relic is through this cave. Don’t give up!”

“Good luck, Michael,” Beluh encouraged, giving him a light push forward. Michael took a deep breath and entered.

After his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Michael studied his surroundings. The tunnel he was in had an underground river; light through cracks in the tunnel wall hit the water and created eerie rings of reflected blue light on the walls and ceiling. Large tree roots stuck through the tunnel walls and ceiling. Due to the lack of light and abundant moisture, the only greenery was mosses and liverworts.

An older teenager emerged from the shadows and challenged him to a battle, and Michael realized that he’d have to fight his way through the tunnel to get to the Relic Stone.

_This is probably what Eagun was preparing, since battle is one of the best ways to purify Shadow Pokémon, according to Krane’s memo,_ Michael realized as he called out Teddiursa and Poochyena. He would have preferred to use Apollo, but the battles were meant to purify his Shadow Pokémon, not provide experience for his one normal Pokémon. He activated the Aura Reader to keep a discerning eye on his Shadow Pokémon and resigned himself to the headache that was sure to follow. Due to the strength of his Pokémon’s Shadow Moves, the teenager, Gorps, was defeated easily, and he graciously handed Michael a pair of Pokéballs as his wager.

Michael continued through the tunnel and was next challenged by an older girl named Jols. She sent out a Snubbull and a Corphish, while he chose Teddiursa and Poochyena again. Midway through the battle, Teddiursa began acting on its own, attacking with almost reckless abandon, so much so that it damaged itself some when it would crash against the walls or take a hard tumble onto the floor. A warning beep sounded in his ear from the Aura Reader, and Michael was alarmed to see that instead of a purple aura enveloping Teddiursa, the ethereal flames had turned red and orange and were embellished by the occasional burst of electricity. Panicked by the sudden change, he replaced Teddiursa with Ledyba and creamed Jols’s final Pokémon, a Lotad.

After Jols recalled her exhausted Pokémon, she eyed him shrewdly and stated, “You didn’t know what happened to your Teddiursa in the middle of our battle.”

“No. Should I have?”

“Oh, yes. You know how your Teddiursa began behaving strangely? I remember seeing the original Snagger battle one time, and one of his Shadow Pokémon began acting oddly, too. He called its name, and it instantly went back to normal. I asked him what had happened, and he explained to me that Shadow Pokémon have very unstable minds. Sometimes, in the heat of battle, some emotions from previous experiences are unlocked for a brief instant. When the emotions vanish, the Pokémon is thrown into turmoil. This state is called Hyper Mode, and the original Snagger said that, in this state, the Pokémon will only use Shadow Moves, and it also has an increased chance of critical hits. If a Shadow Pokémon goes into Hyper Mode, calling out to that Shadow Pokémon is supposed to help, as the trainer’s voice and presence provide a stabilizing anchor for the Pokémon.”

Michael mulled over her words for a bit, internalizing them. He was dying to ask more of Jols, but he realized that what he’d observed during the battle was different from what Jols had described. “Wait,” he frowned. “Teddiursa didn’t hit any harder than normal, and it just ended up damaging itself…”

Jols shrugged. “Your Shadow Pokémon seemed a bit different than the ones Wes used, so maybe this emotional state is different than Hyper Mode?”

“…I suppose I’ll call it Reverse Mode, then, if it’s not Hyper Mode,” Michael decided before letting Teddiursa out of its ball. Michael studied Teddiursa’s aura using the Aura Reader and committed it to memory, before barking, “Teddiursa!” The Little Bear Pokémon, which had been twitching restlessly, froze, then blinked up at him owlishly. Michael was relieved to see that its aura returned to normal, the red fading to purple and the lightning disappearing.

After Jols handed over her wager, which was a pair of Potions, Michael headed on. He could always find Jols and ask her more about what she knew later (as she obviously knew quite a bit about Shadow Pokémon and likely the Shadow Incident as well), but he had a different task at hand right now. Michael was challenged by a third Trainer, an old lady named Ladi, and beat her soundly without any incidents like the previous battle’s. She presented him with a Super Potion.

The fourth and final trainer he faced was an old man named Cron, and he was the most difficult opponent to defeat yet. After battling his Abra, Horsea, and Shroomish, Michael was ecstatic to discover that Teddiursa was ready for purification, according to the Aura Reader and a notification from the Shadow Monitor app on his P*DA, which was apparently synched to the data the Aura Reader gathered. As its heart opened wider, it had also learned the move Metal Claw, according to the P*DA.

“It dismays me that Shadow Pokémon have appeared again,” Cron said absentmindedly as he scratched behind Teddiursa’s ears. “It’s a sad world we live in. Here’s a little something that may hasten how quickly Shadow Pokémon open their hearts to you.” The old man pulled a case from one of his pockets and opened it so Michael could see the interior, which contained multiple openings in a plush lining to hold bottles of something. “It’s a case to hold scents for giving cologne massages to Pokémon. I’m told a scented cologne massage helps ease open the hearts of Shadow Pokémon. Rub down your Pokémon gently when you use that cologne case,” Cron explained. “You can buy colognes at our local Pokémart.”

“Thank you,” Michael said sincerely, grateful that another route to purification had been opened up to him. He wanted to grill Cron about what he knew, but like with Jols, he let the opportunity go in favor of continuing on.

Glancing forward, he could see natural light filtering into the tunnel through an exit some ways ahead. Curious to see the mysterious Relic Stone that would supposedly purify his Pokémon, he exited the tunnel.

Michael blinked as his eyes adjusted to the increased light and slowly walked forward on an oddly constructed stone pathway. The path itself was smooth, but the stone that made the path jutted irregularly into the forest. At the end of the path, Michael could see a circular stone platform constructed in much the same way as the path. In the center of the platform, a cylindrical structure built of incongruent blocks of stone stood, which he guessed was the Relic Stone. In the background, a natural forest of deciduous trees blocked sunlight from streaming into the clearing, making a patchwork of shadows on the ground. Very little underbrush was present, consisting only of ferns, clover patches, and soft grass. The scenery was very soothing and helped abate the pounding headache he’d acquired from looking through the Aura Reader at his Shadow Pokémon for so long.

 “Michael, welcome!” Eagun called, catching Michael’s attention. The old man was watching him closely from beside the Relic Stone. “Your Shadow Pokémon should be ready to open its heart after the battles you’ve waged getting here,” Eagun continued as he approached Michael, drawing a Pokéball from his sleeve.

“Teddiursa is, but my other Shadow Pokémon aren’t,” Michael confirmed.

“Very well, then. Now I shall be your opponent. And here’s my partner. The one Pokémon that I caught as my first… and that has stayed with me ever since. Go, Pikachu! Off we go to our first battle in five years! Let’s keep things tight!” The Mouse Pokémon eyed Michael carefully, then settled back on its haunches, calmly awaiting its opponent’s appearance.

“Go, Apollo and Ledyba!” Michael said, giving Poochyena and Teddiursa a break from the previous battles. The two Pokémon appeared in a burst of light, both ready to fight and well-rested. He winced as his headache from the Aura Reader flared back up from Ledyba’s aura.

Michael stalled for a moment, but Eagun and Pikachu seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. “Ledyba, let’s start things off with a Shadow Blitz! Apollo, follow up with a Tackle!”

“Pikachu, you know what to do!” said Eagun.

Ledyba charged forward, shadowy aura flaring. Just as it seemed the attack would hit, Pikachu neatly dodged to the side, then flipped over Apollo’s follow-up move. Before Michael could call new instructions to his Pokémon, Pikachu landed a critical-hit Thunderbolt on Ledyba, which, being a super-effective move, fainted it instantly.

_Wow, it’s fast!_ Michael thought. _Better up my game._

“Good try, Ledyba,” Michael said as he recalled the Pokémon before sending out Poochyena. “Let’s do something about that speed! Poochyena, Shadow Hold! Apollo, follow up with another Tackle!”

“Volt Tackle!” Eagun commanded. Despite not specifying which Pokémon to go for, Pikachu was so in synch with its trainer and experienced in his tactics that it knew to go for Apollo. The Shadow Hold was too slow to ensnare Pikachu, who had gained a burst of speed from the Volt Tackle, and the sparking Pokémon rammed head-on into Apollo’s Tackle. Apollo cried out and bounced back before crashing on the ground, and Pikachu staggered, shaking off the effects of the Tackle.

“Shadow Blitz, now!” Michael said, taking advantage of the opening while allowing Apollo to recuperate. The Eevee had definitely taken more damage than the Pikachu.

“Dodge it!” Eagun said. Michael had underestimated Pikachu’s recovery time, and it jumped to the side again, the invisible shadowy flames of Poochyena’s attack just barely licking its flank. “Now Quick Attack!” Before Poochyena could even turn around to face its attacker head-on, the Quick Attack hit, sending it skidding across the pathway. Michael could see the Poochyena struggling to stand, worn out as it was from its previous battles.

“It’s okay, Poochyena,” Michael decided, “You deserve a rest. Go, Teddiursa!”

“Ursa!” said Teddiursa, slashing its claws toward Pikachu intimidatingly.

“Okay, you two, let’s go all-out! Teddiursa, Shadow Mist! Apollo, Bite!” Shadowy mist covered the path, slowing Pikachu just enough that Apollo could jump in and land a solid Bite. Pikachu cried out in pain but was not downed. Apollo jumped back to a defensive position, ready for the next attack.

“We haven’t had a battle like this in a long time! Let’s show these youngsters just what we’re capable of! Thunder Wave, then Iron Tail Teddiursa!” Eagun said. Pikachu floundered in the fog for a second before shooting a wave of electricity at Teddiursa, who was too slow to dodge. Teddiursa shivered as the paralysis took effect, slowing its movements.

“Fall!” Michael said desperately, watching the Pikachu’s shimmering tail race toward Teddiursa. Teddiursa did as commanded, limply flopping onto the ground, about the most it could manage to do while paralyzed. Pikachu, slowed marginally by the fog, wasn’t able to change course in time, and the Iron Tail missed, swinging inches over Teddiursa’s head. Teddiursa tried to follow up with a Shadow Blitz, but the paralysis took hold, rendering it immobile. Teddiursa growled, then screamed as it entered Reverse Mode in frustration, shadowy aura flaring red.

“It’s okay, Teddiursa!” Michael called, headache spiking as Teddiursa’s aura changed again on the Aura Reader. He closed one eye to stave off the headache and hoped that the decreased depth perception wouldn’t affect his battling as much as the headache had. He was reacting too slowly to developments in the battle right now. At least Teddiursa had left Reverse Mode, no longer quite as upset that it had just been sidelined by the paralysis.

“Now, Apollo, Sand Attack and Tackle!” Michael said, returning his attention to the Eevee, who wasn’t looking quite so shaky on his feet thanks to the slight respite. The battle was now one-on-one with both contestants ailing. It wouldn’t last much longer.

The Eevee charged at Pikachu, flinging grit in its eyes in the beginning of one of his favorite combos. Pikachu dodged the first Sand Attack but not the second.

“Pika pika!” it said, rubbing its eyes.

“It’s okay, Pikachu! Just follow my lead!” Eagun said. “Dodge right!” Pikachu nimbly dodged Apollo’s first Tackle, trusting its trainer to keep it safe. “Strafe back… now jump and Volt Tackle straight ahead!”

“Dodge back and left, Apollo!” Michael countered. Pikachu, still unable to see clearly, missed. Michael breathed a sigh of relief. If that had hit, it would be match over for him. Then he saw where both combatants had landed, and that Teddiursa’s paralysis was wearing off, and smiled as a plan came to him.

“Apollo, jump back and use Teddiursa as a springboard for a Tackle!” Apollo did as commanded, jumping onto the Teddiursa and then springing from its arms as a boost for the Tackle.

“Dodge left!” Eagun commanded.

“Follow Pikachu!” Michael responded, every muscle in his body tense in anticipation. Then Pikachu tripped over a protruding flagstone and staggered, still solidly in front of the charging Apollo. The Tackle collided with force, sending Pikachu skidding in front of Eagun.

“Pika pika…” it moaned before slumping.

“We did it?” Michael wondered softly, adrenaline pumping from the battle. “We did it!” He scooped up the panting Apollo, exhausted from the battle, and swung him around happily. “You did a fantastic job, Apollo! You too, Teddiursa.” He bent to scratch Teddiursa on the head as a reward, and the Pokémon leaned into the touch, tired but as content as a Shadow Pokémon could be. He deactivated the Aura Reader, seeing no need for it at the moment.

 “Oh! Bravo! I say, bravo!” Eagun said, slowly bending on creaky joints to check on his Pikachu. The Pokémon staggered upright, blinking blearily and leaning against Eagun. “My goodness. It was a white-hot experience, our battle. And to defeat my Pikachu… That takes real skill!”

“Pika pika, pikachu!” Pikachu agreed. Apollo basked in the praise and jumped to the ground, eyes shining.

Michael suddenly felt a heat from his pack. Worried that something would catch on fire, he opened his pack and saw that the Sun Shard was glowing white. And then, Apollo was glowing a bright white as well, his form melting and reforming into something larger, more elegant, more powerful.

“He’s evolving!” Michael gasped, excited. His attention was riveted on the white blob that was his closest partner. Michael was all but vibrating. He’d dreamt of someday evolving Apollo, but he never imagined that the day would come so soon, or so triumphantly.

And then the light faded, and Apollo the Eevee was no more. In Apollo’s place was a lanky Espeon, newly forked tail swishing from side to side contently. Espeon was bigger but leaner than Eevee, the fluffy brown fur replaced with short pinkish-purple fur that was sensitive enough to predict an opponent’s moves from air currents. The ears were bigger and had little fluffs at the bottom, and there was a small red jewel at the center of Apollo’s forehead. The new Espeon stretched, testing its range of motion.

“Espi!” he said, looking up at Michael with purple instead of brown eyes.

Michael scooped up Apollo, easily adjusting to the change in weight, and hugged his Pokémon tightly, laughing. “I’m so proud of you, Apollo!” he crowed, spinning in delight. “Congratulations!” He stroked the short fur, marveling at its velvety texture.

“Teddi!” Teddiursa said, congratulating Apollo.

“It warms my heart to see such a bond with Pokémon. And an evolution! That is an honor, indeed,” Eagun said, smiling.

Michael couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “Thank you!”

“Espeon!”

Eagun allowed a few more minutes of celebration before he said, “Shall we turn our attention to the reason you came here, hmm?”

“Oh! Right. Okay, Apollo,” Michael said, attempting to put the Espeon down, but Apollo was having none of it. Instead, he climbed up Michael’s shirt and happily draped over his shoulders, purring. Michael smiled that the extra, comforting weight and scratched Apollo’s chin.

“Okay. Ready to be purified, Teddiursa?” Michael asked.

“Ursa!” Teddiursa looked happy to be the center of attention again.

“Now you should use the power of the Relic Stone to finally open Teddiursa’s heart completely. Your Pokémon should go to the Relic Stone and touch it. It will take care of the rest,” Eagun said.

Michael and Teddiursa shared a look. “Okay.” Michael set Teddiursa down. Mindful of the headache that would no doubt soon flare up, he reactivated the Aura Reader. He had a feeling that this was something he would want to see.

Teddiursa approached the Relic Stone. A sparkly green glow Michael could only see through the Aura Reader surrounded the artifact, growing brighter as Teddiursa neared. But once Teddiursa was close enough to touch the Relic Stone, it stopped and turned around, giving Michael a questioning, “Urs?”

Michael nodded. “Go ahead, Teddiursa,” he said reassuringly.

“Ursa,” Teddiursa responded. Then the Pokémon reached out and touched the Relic Stone.

The reaction was immediate. The glow from the Relic Stone brightened almost unbearably. A green spherical matrix of energy surrounded Teddiursa through the Aura Reader before closing around Teddiursa’s core like a net. The aura’s purplish-black flames sputtered once, twice, then dispersed in tiny droplets, completely extinguished. Michael wondered what it felt like to be at the center of a purification, as he could feel his skin tingling from a distance, when his P*DA beeped, and he brought it out. In a quick glance, he saw “Information retrieved!” flashing on the screen. Teddiursa’s Shadow Moves blurred into Return and Refresh, and the small question mark where gender would be turned into a red sign for female. Then the glow faded entirely, and all was still by the Relic Stone.

Teddiursa turned around. There was a lively sparkle in her eyes that had been lacking previously. She flung herself at Michael, crying happily and hugging his legs. Michael lifted Teddiursa and hugged her, knowing for the first time since meeting Teddiursa that he wouldn’t get clawed if he stepped out of line. He was treated to Teddiursa’s first smile. Michael beamed excitedly and laughed, feeling lighter than he had been since Krane’s kidnapping. Apollo’s evolution had been equally momentous.

There was some more beeping from Michael’s P*DA. Holding Teddiursa in one arm, he held the P*DA with the other. “Nickname Pokémon?” was blinking on the screen, along with a keypad for inputting a name. Michael wondered why he would get the honor, but then he noticed that the OT information for Teddiursa had changed to his name and ID number, for some reason. He was officially Teddiursa’s trainer. He could speculate about why later.

“What do you say, Teddiursa? Would you like a nickname?” he asked.

“Urs ur a!” Teddiursa responded.

“Ursula?”

“Urs!” Teddiursa said happily.

“Okay, then. Your name is now Ursula!” Michael said after confirming the nickname in his P*DA.

“Well done! That Pokémon has finally returned to its former self,” Eagun said. “Are any of your other Pokémon ready for purification?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then for the time being, we should return to my house. Follow me.”

______

The return through the cave was quiet. All the trainers along the path to the Relic Stone had left, leaving only footprints and battle scuffs behind. When Eagun and Michael emerged from the cave, there was a small crowd waiting expectantly. Eagun merely nodded, and the crowd burst into cheers. They’d been waiting for news that Michael had purified his Shadow Pokémon. Michael felt a little embarrassed by the attention, Apollo took it in stride, and Teddiursa cheered with the crowd. She was apparently a very happy and friendly Pokémon, normally. Why would anyone want to corrupt that?

They wrested free of the crowd and made it back to Eagun’s house without further incident. Beluh welcomed them back and ushered them into the living room. “So, how did it go?” she asked. Michael held up the beaming Ursula in response. Beluh looked thrilled.

“This is a cause for celebration! You’ve successfully purified your first Shadow Pokémon without incident,” Eagun said.

“Yes, congratulations!” Beluh said. Michael basked in the praise.

Then Eagun, ever the pessimist, had to bring him back down to earth. “Still, one can’t be too happy, not with the knowledge of Professor Krane’s abduction. You see, he was a frequent visitor to Agate up to several years ago. He was conducting extensive research into the Relic Stone. He said that it was for completing an entirely new purifying system that his friend thought up. I wonder where the kidnappers have made off to with Professor Krane. It must be worrisome for you, too.”

“Very,” Michael confirmed, mood dampened by the reminder.

“In the meantime, why don’t you stay in Agate Village? I’ve heard you have more Shadow Pokémon to purify, and I’m sure the residents would love to help you train,” Beluh suggested. “If need be, you can stay in the guest room upstairs.”

“That is so generous of you; thank you so much! Let me call my mom to see if it’s okay with her,” Michael replied, floored by the offer and feeling very mature. Eagun and Beluh waited patiently while Michael dialed his mother’s office number on his P*DA. Unsurprisingly, she was elsewhere in the lab, so he just left a message for her. He had a feeling she would say yes, anyway. Lily had been letting him and Jovi take a lot more freedom lately. Was it because she was so busy and couldn’t worry about them as much, or was it because she thought they could handle more responsibilities? Whatever the reason, Michael was definitely enjoying making his own decisions away from the Lab.

“She’ll probably be okay with it,” Michael said. “I don’t have much stuff, though, so if I’m staying, I don’t think it will be more than a night or two.”

“So responsible!” Beluh said. “Your mother must be very proud. I’ll be happy to wash your clothes any time you need it, dear. Do you need anything else?”

“Ah, thank you! But for the time being, I think I’ll go explore the village some now.” He had an investigation into Shadow Pokémon and the Shadow Incident to conduct, after all.

“Okay. Let us know if you need anything.”

Michael wanted to ask them what they knew, but they were in direct contact with his mother, and he didn’t want his search getting back to her when she had explicitly asked him not to pry. “I will,” he said instead. “Bye!”

He exited their house, feeling ready to take on the world. He almost immediately ran into an excited straggler from the crowd he’d encountered near the Relic Stone, an older man wearing comfy clothes.

“Hey, I heard, I heard! They say that you brought a Shadow Pokémon for purification? That’s quite impressive!” the man said.

“Ah, thank you,” Michael said. Here would be a good place to start his information search. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about the Shadow Incident that occurred five years ago, would you?”

The man immediately clammed up. “S-sorry, I don’t know anything!” he began. Then he glanced around furtively and, seeing no one paying them any particular attention, he continued in a low voice, “Come with me. I’ll tell you what I know. If anyone asks, I never said anything!”

Michael followed the man in a winding path through the village and finally wound up in a small, secluded alcove near the edge of the village. It was hidden by the roots of the massive tree and was far from any of the other people Michael had seen during their trek.

“Okay,” the man sighed. “I’ll tell you what I know, because if you’re purifying Shadow Pokémon, I think you’ll need all the information you can get. It isn’t terribly much, and I’m breaking a number of laws to speak to you about it, but here goes.

“The Shadow Incident occurred five years ago when a criminal organization named Cipher almost took over the entire region with a new kind of Pokémon no one had ever seen before: Shadow Pokémon, which were stronger than normal Pokémon and attacked trainers. No one knew anything about them until it was almost too late because Cipher’s partner organization, Team Snagem, was drawing all the attention with their rampant Pokémon theft. That’s what the other regions think the Shadow Incident is, by the way, just Pokémon theft. Cipher got pretty close to total domination, too, until a member of Team Snagem went rogue and began taking down Cipher with his partner, a girl who could see the auras of Shadow Pokémon. They were our heroes, Wes and Rui. I don’t know the details of their journey, but they came around here pretty often to purify the Shadow Pokémon they snagged from Cipher.

“Now, after the incident was over, Orre was in chaos. News was spotty and inconsistent, and a number of high-ranking positions were suddenly vacant. For some reason, Wes and Rui left, leaving us to pick up the pieces. One thing was certain, though: no one wanted news of the incident to get to the Pokémon Association in the other regions. The other regions have had their share of problems with Pokémon criminals, but nothing so massive, or so dangerously close to total control, or employing such awful methods. Wes’s snagging was seen as a good thing, for heaven’s sake! That’s Pokémon thievery viewed favorably, you know! The other regions would want nothing to do with us if they found out. No one wanted the commercial trade – crucial to this region, as I’m sure you know – to be jeopardized. So the Confederation of Orre – what was left of it, at any rate – passed a series of laws to cover up the Shadow Incident, with swift and harsh punishment for anyone who broke their silence to outsiders or children, who were kept in the dark largely because of paranoid parents and the bad news reporting.

“And that’s how it’s been. Orre recovered. But now there’s trouble again, and Shadow Pokémon have returned, and I can only hope Cipher hasn’t started back up again. Last time was bad enough.”

There was silence as Michael absorbed all the information and the man caught his breath.

_Okay_ , Michael thought. _So my opponent, the people who kidnapped Professor Krane, may be Cipher, or it might be this Team Snagem, or it may be another group entirely. At least I know more about the Shadow Incident, now. I can see why the adults would want it to be covered up. Near total control by an evil syndicate would scare off the other regions. Maybe I could get some more information about Shadow Pokémon and Cipher from the locals?_

Finally, Michael said, “That’s all you know?”

“Yeah. Anything more specific, you’d have to ask Eagun and Beluh. Rui is their granddaughter; I’m sure they’d know more.”

Darn, Michael couldn’t ask them because of their connection to his mother. Oh well. There was bound to be someone else who knew more. “Thank you so much for your information.”

“You’re more than welcome, lad. It’s sad that Shadow Pokémon have appeared in the world again. Since you’re involved with Shadow Pokémon, I think you deserve some information. But you didn’t hear any of it from me!”

“Of course. Thank you, again.”

The man nodded, then left the alcove, cautiously glancing around for anyone who’d become curious about what they’d been talking about.

“So, what do you guys think?” Michael asked Apollo and Ursula once the man was gone.

“Espi!” Apollo said.

Suddenly, Michael had a blinding headache, causing him to drop Ursula and stumble, clutching his head. “Argh!”

Just as suddenly, the headache abated into tolerable throbbing. The first thing Michael noticed was that he was on the ground. The second thing he noticed was that Apollo was barking at him frantically, trying to get him to respond. Michael held out a hand to pet the Espeon and noticed that it was shaking.

Then his stomach rebelled. Michael leaned to the side and retched, bringing up the remains of the breakfast Beluh had fed him earlier. He lay next to the puddle, clutching his stomach and moaning.

It took a few minutes, but he finally got his stomach under control. He slowly sat up, breathing heavily. “What was that?” he wondered. A delayed side-effect from the Aura Reader?

“Espeon,” Apollo said, nudging him. Apollo, for some reason, looked extraordinarily guilty.

The headache suddenly returned with a vengeance, but accompanying it was a whisper: _I’m trying to communicate. Sorry. I’ll stop._ The headache abated again.

“Huh?” Michael looked at the guilty Apollo, and the pieces clicked. “You’ve been trying to talk to me psychically?”

Apollo nodded.

Michael was angry. That headache had _hurt_ ; he’d thought for a moment that he was dying. Throwing up wasn’t pleasant, either. “Well, don’t try it again, okay?” he snapped. Apollo cowered under the force of his anger, and Michael deflated. “I’m sorry,” he said miserably. “It just hurt, and I was scared. I’m sorry. Maybe you could try again later, when you have better control of your psychic powers?”

“Espi!” Apollo perked up, cheerful again.

“Sorry for dropping you, Ursula,” Michael said to the Teddiursa.

“Ursa!” Ursula replied, unbothered. Michael couldn’t help but smile; had Ursula still been a Shadow Pokémon, Michael wouldn’t have been forgiven nearly as easily or painlessly.

“I think I’ll still return you, though; I don’t know if I’m up for holding you,” Michael apologized as he returned Ursula to her ball and shakily stood. Apollo stayed by his feet instead of climbing on his shoulders for fear of knocking him over and followed as Michael left the alcove behind.

Despite the lingering headache and the unsteadiness on his feet, Michael explored the village’s terraces for people to talk to, many of whom asked him if he was alright, until he asked them about Shadow Pokémon. He only received information he already knew about from the Krane Memos or from Jols and Cron, who he did find but didn’t have anything else to share with him. People clammed up whenever he broke the law and asked about the Shadow Incident and Cipher, though one person said, “Cipher? Those assholes? They’re gone, sweetie. Don’t worry about them.” He also got an interesting tidbit on the Relic Stone and purification from its guardian: “According to legend, that Relic Stone is said to have Celebi’s power of time travel. It’s said that the power makes Pokémon recall their fondest memories.”

“So that’s how purification works!” Michael said once he’d waved goodbye to the guardian. “I wonder if the Purify Chamber back at the HQ Lab will be able to do the same thing once it’s finished?”

Finally, while exploring, he met a kind old lady named Belish who gave him TM 09, Bullet Seed after beating her in a battle, but was similarly tight-lipped about the Shadow Incident.

“Well, I think that’s all we’ll find here,” Michael sighed once he and Apollo had finished exploring the village. “At least it’s better than nothing! We know the major players of the last Shadow Incident and why everyone is keeping quiet about it…”

“Espi!” Apollo agreed.

Michael looked at the sky; the sun told him it was late afternoon. Plenty of time to train Apollo in his new form and work to purify Poochyena and Ledyba before dark. The headache had faded into something tolerable, but it was still there. He went to the local store and bought several different colognes – the Joy, Excite, and Vivid Scents – to try Cron’s advice about purifying and scented massages.

Having explored the village, Michael knew where to find a nice, secluded, wide-open spot to train. He released Poochyena first.

“Okay, Poochyena, hold still, please,” Michael said as he grabbed an Excite Scent. Apollo watched the proceedings carefully. First, Michael drizzled a liberal amount of the scented oil, which smelled of the ocean, from the canisters onto Poochyena’s fur and coated his hands. Then he worked the oil into Poochyena’s fur, taking care not to knead too hard. Finally, he rubbed his hands soothingly over Poochyena’s body, working out knots of tension and stress. Being a Shadow Pokémon was hard on the body thanks to the constant stress. Poochyena slowly relaxed under Michael’s fingers, growling contentedly. Michael worked as well as he could between the pounding headache left over from Apollo’s attempt to communicate, but it seemed he was doing much better. Poochyena was relaxing and he hadn’t been bitten or scratched yet, so he counted it a win. He activated the Aura Reader and saw that Poochyena was only two bars away from being purified. Maybe another couple of massages and some Pokémon battles would clear the last two bars.

He performed the same routine with Ledyba, taking care to only rub and not knead; the flesh under the Five Star Pokémon’s shell was very sensitive, even more so than its belly. Michael took note of this for future battles using Ledyba. He didn’t want to see it seriously injured. Ledyba was a calm Shadow Pokémon, compared to Ursula and Poochyena, and he had a feeling that Ledyba normally wasn’t much of a fighter. He hated how Ledyba had been forced to battle when it didn’t seem like it wanted to. He resolved to massage Ledyba as many times as it took for it to be ready for purification because it responded better to massages than battling. On the other hand, he took Poochyena around town, trying to find people willing to battle.

It was much easier to find battle partners than it was to find information about Cipher and the Shadow Incident. Many of the citizens of the retirement village had been trainers when they’d been younger and were all too eager to jump back into the fray. Michael primarily used Poochyena and Ursula, as he knew their current attack styles best. He rested Apollo after one battle when the Pokémon was overwhelmed by the sensations he was receiving from his newly sensitive fur. Ledyba only participated in a single battle when a lucky critical hit took out Ursula.

By the time Michael had made the rounds of the village again, it was well after dark. He healed his Pokémon at the local Pokémon Center and returned to Eagun and Beluh’s house for a hearty dinner, a warm shower, and a soft bed.

_____

The next day, Michael started by giving both Poochyena and Ledyba scented massages. Both were down to less than one bar each on the Aura Reader; they would be ready for purification soon. Then he recalled them and released Apollo.

“Okay, Apollo. It’s your turn for training. I’ve never trained a Psychic-type before, but there’s a first time for everything, right? I want you to start by lifting that rock.”

Apollo gave him a look, then trotted over and picked up the rock with his mouth.

“No, no, silly! With your psychic powers.”

Now Apollo was more apprehensive. He sunk into a determined stance and concentrated on the stone. He’d not had much opportunity to test his new psychic prowess, beyond a single overwhelming battle the day before and attempting to speak to Michael. His instincts told him that accessing his psychic power was a matter of focus and will. So he focused on the stone and willed it to rise. It rose, uncertain and wobbly. Apollo concentrated harder, and the stone stilled.

“Good job, Apollo!” Michael’s praise broke the Espeon’s concentration, and the rock fell to the ground, motionless.

Apollo gave a dissatisfied sniff. If he couldn’t manage to lift a single stone with distractions, how could he possibly be able to do something similar in the middle of battle? Never mind understanding the predictive sensations he was getting from his extremely sensitive fur.

“Okay. Let’s try that again.” Over the next several hours, Apollo lifted one stone, then one stone with distractions, then multiple stones, then multiple stones with distractions, then moving stones independently. It was hard work; Apollo was getting a headache from concentrating so hard. But he was successfully using his psychic powers. With practice, he would become even better and be able to move things on a simple whim. For now, though, he wanted to try to speak to Michael again. Even though it had hurt Michael, that he was able to make his voice heard at all was exhilarating. He wanted to be able to talk with his trainer. Earlier, he had jumped at the opportunity without even thinking about his lack of experience.

“Okay, Apollo, short break while I give Poochyena and Ledyba another massage,” Michael said. Apollo flopped to the ground, mental exhaustion giving way to physical exhaustion. Michael chuckled as he released Poochyena.

One massage for each Shadow Pokémon later, and both were ready for purification. Apollo scrambled up Michael’s shoulders as they made their way to the Relic Stone. Apollo knew his trainer was confused by his new favorite perch, but Apollo liked it there. It was warm and comfortable.

Poochyena and Ledyba were purified in the same manner as Ursula. Michael named them Rose and Marie, respectively; “Pretty names for pretty girls,” he’d said as their gender was identified on the P*DA. Rose was feisty and loved a challenge, while Marie was mild and, as Michael had guessed, hated battling.

It was on the third day of their stay at Agate that Apollo finally figured out how to multitask while using his psychic powers, able to walk or run while lifting several stones. On the fourth day, he mastered the offensive move Confusion, which would allow him to attack other Pokémon in battle. As he found out when he’d tried to lift Michael once, the heavier and squirmier something was, the harder it was to keep aloft. (As it was, Apollo managed only about an inch before the weight and the flailing forced him to drop Michael. The look on his trainer’s face had been hilarious, but the scolding afterwards had not been.) On the fifth day, he finally felt confident enough understanding the sensations from his fur that he felt ready to battle again, though he knew he needed more experience to properly master predicting opponents’ movements. On the sixth day, he finally felt confident enough in his abilities to try contacting Michael again. His earlier efforts felt like wild thrashing in the dark; now, he felt much more precise.

_Michael? Can you hear me?_ Apollo said.

Michael flinched and brought up a hand to rub at his forehead. “Apollo?”

_Yes?_

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s giving me an awful headache.” Michael rummaged around in his bag for the painkillers he’d bought over his stay here. The Aura Reader was still giving him headaches, though they weren’t quite as bad as they used to be. Apollo’s attempts at psychic communication were reminding him of the worst headaches from the Aura Reader at the beginning, though.

The headache abated as Apollo withdrew sadly. Still not good enough, then.

“Apollo, ow, please… don’t do that again.”

Apollo’s head snapped up. _No! I want… I want to be able to talk to you_ , he cried.

Michael flinched again. “Okay! Okay. Not so loud. You can talk to me. Just… keep it low-key and infrequent.” He paused to think about what he’d just said. “Wow… even though it hurts, my Pokémon is talking to me. That’s so cool! You’re awesome, Apollo. Could do without the headaches, though.”

Apollo rubbed up against Michael’s legs. He cared deeply for Michael, and he knew Michael felt the same about him. They’d been partners for years, after all.

On the seventh day, Michael was becoming restless. Apollo could see it in his far-off gaze and in his twitchy legs. They needed to return to the center of the action, the HQ Lab, soon. Apollo expressed this, and with a wince of pain, Michael agreed.

“Oh. You’re leaving?” Beluh said calmly when Michael informed her of their decision. “Well, I suppose an active young lad like yourself wouldn’t want to be cooped up here for too long, anyway.”

“Michael, may I have your P*DA number?” Eagun requested. Michael readily complied. “If I hear of anything, I will make certain to get in touch with you.”

“Thanks!” Michael said. “I’ll be heading off now.”

“Take care!”

______

Michael returned to the HQ Lab and was greeted by his mother and sister, both of whom had been worried by his extended absence but were happy to see him home. He was also thoroughly congratulated on evolving Apollo into an Espeon by the entire staff. Had everyone not been so busy on the Purify Chamber, there would have been a party to celebrate.

A month and a half passed with no news from the authorities on Professor Krane’s kidnapping. Michael was getting really worried. Apollo worked more on his new psychic skills and was able to lift heavier objects than before, up to twenty pounds. He delighted in helping move things for the scientists at the lab as practice. He also kept giving Michael headaches whenever he wanted to talk, but those seemed to be ebbing ever so slightly each time he communicated, like the headaches from using the Aura Reader. Marie seemed to be perfectly happy at the Pokémon HQ Lab, so she retired from battling and wound up under the collective care of the Lab as both a resident and a research subject.

And then Eagun called, saying that he wanted to see Michael. He must have forgotten to use the P*DA. Michael, glad to finally be doing something, raced off to Agate the first chance he got, after his mother gave him permission to go. He was greeted enthusiastically by Eagun at the village entrance and led back to his house to talk.

“I need to tell you about Vander,” Eagun said once they were settled. “We have a friend by the name of Vander who lies on Mt. Battle, which is a place of training for Trainers. Vander claims to have seen sinister characters out in the desert, where few people dare to tread. Sounds intriguing, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Michael said, excited to finally be making headway on Krane’s disappearance. “Where is Mt. Battle from here?” He’d heard of it, like any other trainer in Orre, but he’d never actually been there.

“Mt. Battle is to the northeast. Be sure to visit it.” Eagun showed Michael where it was on an old fashioned map, and Michael downloaded the coordinates to the entrance into his P*DA.

“Okay! I’ll head over there right now,” Michael said, eager to be investigating.

“I’m sure your mother has already said this, but be careful!” Beluh said.

Following the directions unerringly, Michael found his way to the base of Mt. Battle, just outside of the lobby. His parked his scooter in the lot and locked it.

Mt. Battle was a huge active volcano, its power harnessed by technology to run the hundred-streak challenge of trainers. Michael could see lava streaming down from the crater. In front of the metallic reception was a courtyard with grass and people with Pokémon wandering about. One of them was familiar: one of Mr. Verich’s bodyguards, whom he’d met at Gateon Port.

“Well, well. Didn’t we meet at Gateon Port?” the mysterious man said after approaching, examining Michael and Apollo draped over his shoulders. “Have you come to train? This is an excellent place for people to train. I’ve trained here myself. Back then, I only sought to become more powerful. I didn’t need any other reason. As a result, I attained this status. But now, I’ve taken to questioning my motive for gaining power. I wonder what I am fighting for. I ponder if I am putting my Pokémon under cruel stress. Why do you want to become stronger?”

“…Uh?” Michael said, caught off-guard by the lengthy but poignant monologue. “Well… I’m not sure.”

“That’s why I urge you to look into yourself. Ask yourself why you want to become stronger before you take that path,” the man said. “Goodbye, now.”

“Ooo-kay, that was weird,” Michael muttered as he glanced at the retreating figure.

_No kidding_ , Apollo agreed. Michael rubbed a temple, glad he’d already taken some painkillers. He shrugged off the encounter as a result of eccentricity and continued forward, unbothered.

Inside, the lobby was neat and clean with even more people wandering about, several of whom seemed disgruntled for some reason. Michael approached the back of the reception, where double doors were guarded by a receptionist and an Abra.

“Welcome to Mt. Battle!” she said. “Would you care to take our knockout challenge for training? You battle till you’re knocked out! Well, that’s what I’d say normally, but unfortunately, we’re not open to the public right now. The facilities are closed for training novice trainers.”

Well, that explained why some of the people were upset. “I’m not actually here to train,” Michael said. “I’m here to talk to a man named Vander about something. Eagun from Agate Village sent me.”

“Oh! You’re not here to train? You came to see Vander, one of our Area Leaders, sent from Eagun? Okay. Well, Vander is in charge of the rookie training session. He’s inside right now. If you’re in a hurry, you may enter through here.” The receptionist stepped aside, giving Michael access to Mt. Battle.

“Thank you so much!” Michael said as he passed her. He couldn’t believe he’d gained access so quickly. As he entered Mt. Battle, he heard some argument start between the receptionist and one of the trainers. _They must really want to train here_ , Michael mused.

The inside of Mt. Battle was composed of platforms and walkways suspended by huge rotating fans and antigrav generators. As Michael started forward, he was stopped and challenged by two trainers in quick succession, each thinking he was a knockout challenger. He beat them with no problems with Apollo and Rose; both trainers were complete amateurs, easily defeated. Then, in Zone 3, Michael found who he thought he was looking for.

“That’s right. In a double battle, it’s important that you understand and coordinate the attributes and abilities of two Pokémon together,” a man coached another rookie trainer.

“Okay, Vander. It makes sense!” the trainer replied.

Then the man, Vander, noticed Michael. “Oh? Are you a knockout battle challenger? I hate to disappoint you, but we’re not running the challenge right now. We’re in training, you see.”

“I know,” Michael said, “I’m not here to interrupt that. I’m just here to talk to you. Eagun sent me.”

“Oh? Eagun sent you to see me? Oh, to hear about the desert! Understood! I’ll be happy to give you my account. But before I do that, I’ve got a little request,” Vander said. “Just on appearance, you look to be an outstanding trainer. I’m certain my eyes aren’t deceiving me. So, here’s my request. To finish up my novice trainer’s session, I’d like you to treat him to a battle!”

“My name is Bardo! Thank you for training with me!” the novice trainer said. “Go! Spoink! Doduo!”

“Alright, Apollo, Rose, let’s wrap this up quickly!” Michael called. “Apollo, Bite Spoink! Rose, Poison Fang Doduo!”

“What? How does your Espeon know a Dark-type attack?” the novice shouted, leaving his Pokémon completely open to both attacks, giving Michael the advantage. Spoink and Doduo cried out in pain when the attacks connected.

“Oops! Uh, Spoink, use Psywave! Doduo, Pursuit! On that Espeon!” Bardo ordered.

“Strafe back, Apollo! Rose, use Dig on the Spoink!” Apollo jumped back, forcing the Doduo to pursue him. Meanwhile, the Spoink launched its Psywave, but the Doduo got into the path of the attack and took the Psywave instead of Apollo, fainting it when combined with the damage from the earlier Poison Fang. Then Rose emerged from the ground and impacted with the Spoink, sending it flying to the edge of the platform. It, too, was knocked out.

Bardo gaped. He’d been taken out so quickly! “I feel like I failed my school graduation exam!” he moaned, falling to his knees.

The sound of clapping from Vander suddenly filled the space. “Yes! Just as I thought! That was a well-played battle! Why, it made me want to jump in and join the fray, too,” he laughed. “Anyways, I promised we would talk. But this isn’t the place for that. Let’s go back to the reception. Bardo, practice coordinating your Pokémon while I’m gone, okay?”

“Sure,” Bardo said miserably, still reeling from his quick defeat.

The two returned to the reception, then entered Vander’s private office off the main venue, away from the still-disgruntled crowd. “Well, they’re going to have to wait a bit longer,” Vander grumbled as he sat.

“Now, you wanted to know what I told Eagun, is that right?” Michael nodded. “Well, in the desert south of here, there’s an old Cipher research facility. It’s been there since the Shadow Incident. Er, you know of it, right?” Vander said, realizing that Michael may have been too young to know of the Shadow Incident.

“I know a little about what happened,” Michael said. “What do you know?”

Vander shifted uneasily. “Well, I’m really not supposed to break silence. You know of the law, right?”

Michael’s expression soured. “Yes.”

“That’s why I’m really say anything more. But, I suppose you already know more than you should if Eagun sent you… Okay. I’ll tell you about the attack that happened on Mt. Battle during the Shadow Incident.

“I was the caretaker of a relic called the Time Flute, which has the power to call Celebi to the Relic Stone. Mt. Battle was invaded by Cipher to get the Time Flute, and I was personally attacked by an Admin named Dakim. But Wes and Rui came and saved me from Cipher, and I gave them the Time Flute. I don’t know if they’ve used it or not, but it’s still in their hands today, wherever they are.

“Wow,” Michael said, eyes wide. If there was one place you didn’t want to attack, Mt. Battle was it, home of one hundred resident trainers plus however many challenging trainers. He almost couldn’t believe that Cipher had been powerful or audacious enough to take on Orre’s one powerhouse. It was like challenging each of the Elite Fours and Champions in the other regions. No wonder the Confederation of Orre downplayed the incident.

“Anyway, about that lab in the desert,” Vander said, switching topics. “It seemed to be abandoned for a long time. But recently, I’ve seen groups of shady characters going inside. They may somehow be connected to Professor Krane’s abduction. I’ve reported it to the authorities, but every time there’s an official investigation, the lab is just as abandoned as before. I accompanied them once, and even the dust hasn’t been disturbed. It’s a mystery. But maybe, if you’re going alone, you may find something we couldn’t. Just be careful. That lab is no place to go carousing in. There’s some seriously nasty stuff in there. I wouldn’t tell you about it at all, but if Eagun sent you, he must think you’re capable enough to explore it safely.”

“Okay, I understand,” Michael said.

“Alright, then. This is where the research lab was located,” Vander said, pulling out a P*DA and giving the coordinates to Michael. “Also, be careful when crossing the desert,” he warned. “Make sure you have plenty of fuel and water. I’m sure you know desert safety, but the last thing you want to do is to get stuck out there.”

“Right,” Michael nodded. He knew plenty about safety in the desert. Lily wouldn’t be pleased that he was venturing out into the desolate no-man’s land, though. Maybe she didn’t have to know… “Thank you for the information.”

“You’re welcome,” Vander said. “Again, though, be careful, okay?”

“I will!” Michael called behind him as he exited the office.

As he left the reception to Mt. Battle, he got an email from Aidan:

_Hi, Michael, doing good? Eagun called today to inform us that Pokéballs are now available at the Agate Pokémart. You won’t have to worry about running out anymore. Good luck, Michael!_

_Excellent_ , Michael thought. _I’ll have to stock up on those. I may be running into more Shadow Pokémon._

Instead of heading straight to the old lab, which would have been the harebrained thing to do, Michael returned to Agate to buy the supplies he needed to brave the desert. He bought out all the Pokéballs from the Pokémart – twenty-two in all – and also stocked up on water, food, and fuel for his scooter, all packed into the small compartment in the back of the scooter. He also splurged on a pair of goggles; the sand and the sun could be harsh on his eyes. Buying everything depleted his savings, but he had a feeling he’d need all the supplies he could get his hands on.

He spent the night at Beluh and Eagun’s house, then headed out for the old lab in the morning. If the authorities couldn’t find Professor Krane, he’d just have to do it himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Yes, I did get the inspiration for that particular taming technique for Poochyena from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I felt like something similar would work perfectly in this situation.
> 
> Whew! The Pokémon battle with Eagun was tough to write. Hope I did it justice. I wanted to make it as epic as a battle between baby Pokémon could be.
> 
> Thanks to my one reviewer and all my new favs and follows! You guys and your feedback is what keeps me going.
> 
> -HM


	5. Chapter 4

It took Michael the better part of five hours traveling at top speed to reach the lab. He was glad he’d insisted that Apollo, Ursula, and Rose stay in their balls for the trip, as it had left him sweaty, gritty, and tired. He contemplated stopping to rest, as it was the hottest part of the day, but he could see the lab in the distance and wanted to keep going. The lab certainly looked abandoned on the outside, the buildings dusty and worn, and what once had been a high-tech fence, trashed.

Michael left his scooter hidden under an outcropping of rock near what looked like the entrance to the lab and locked it in place. If there was anyone around here, he didn’t want his scooter to wander off. And if Krane was indeed here, a quick getaway might be needed. So the scooter was close, but hidden.

As Michael cautiously neared the lab, he saw, parked within the downed fence’s perimeter, a large, bulky vehicle that looked suspiciously like what Krane’s kidnappers had used. Maybe Krane was here, or maybe he’d been moved someplace else; Michael would have to explore the lab to make sure. Still, it was a sign that the kidnappers had been here, which was a promising start.

Michael was inching his way toward the front entrance, trying to get up the courage to approach the doors to see if they worked, when one of the doors opened just as he passed a broken gate in the fence.

Six men, all colorfully outfitted in armor of the same type as the thugs who had kidnapped Professor Krane, exited the right-hand building before Michael could think to hide. They lined up neatly, the red one first, then the blue one, then the brown one, then the yellow one, then the purple one, and finally the green one.  But they apparently didn’t notice him at first, and he took the opportunity to duck behind a defunct fence outpost. He peeked out from behind it, wondering at the act the six men were unknowingly putting on for him.

“We are sextuplets! We are! We are! We strike terror throughout the land! For we are the Hexagon Brothers! Sound off!” the first announced.

“One!” said the second in line.

“Two!” said the third.

“Three!” said the fourth.

“Four!” said the fifth.

“Five!” said the sixth.

“…Wait. Five? That’s it? Five? Aren’t we missing someone?” said the first, confused. Michael had to stifle his snickers. These men weren’t terribly bright, were they? Even though they wore the same armor as Krane’s kidnappers, they weren’t nearly as intimidating.

“That’s ridiculously impossible! Let me try this time. Count off!” said the sixth.

“One!” said the fifth.

“Two!” said the fourth.

“Three!” said the third.

“Four!” said the second.

“Five!” said the first.

“…See! What did I say again? There is someone missing!” Michael couldn’t contain his snickers this time. “But anyway, enough. He’ll return soon enough, I’m sure. What we need to do, brothers, is this: lock and load on this suspicious kid!” the red one said.

Drat! Michael had been spotted. His laughing hadn’t been quiet enough. Oops. He stepped out from behind the fence post, now apprehensive. Getting jumped by all six would not be pleasant; he couldn’t believe he’d been caught so quickly. At least now he knew that the lab wasn’t quite as abandoned as everyone thought.

“Hey, you brat! This is no kiddy playground! We’ve been away a while, but this here real estate’s belonged to Cipher for many a year!” said the first man.

_What? Cipher? Are these guys really implying that they’re Cipher?_ Michael thought, stunned. _But Cipher was destroyed!_

The red one kept talking. “If you don’t quit scurrying about, we’ll have to tell your mommy. If you don’t want that to happen, then run along home!”

How old did they think he was, five? Michael scowled at the red one defiantly. He was _fourteen_ , thank you very much!

The red one glared right back. “That look on your face… It says you’re not about to listen and go home obediently. All right, then. I’ll play with you to while away the time, if you want.”

“Excuse me?” Michael said, incredulous. Fourteen. He was fourteen, dammit!

“If you’re scared, go run on home to mommy,” the red one sneered, tossing a Pokéball back and forth.

Enough was enough. Michael’s temper snapped. Cipher or not, these guys were annoying, and he was _dying_ to beat them in battle. “Standard Orre double battle?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Of course.”

“Then it’s up to you, Ursula and Rose!” Michael called, releasing the Teddiursa and the Poochyena.

“Go! Slugma and Houndour!” The two Fire-types appeared in a flash of light, ready to fight.

“Ursula, use Return on Houndour; Rose, Bite his Slugma!” Michael immediately called, eager to begin the battle. Then, there was the familiar and dreaded beep in his ear as the Aura Reader slid into place when it sensed a Shadow Pokémon in range. Michael blinked as a headache hit him full-force, already tired as he was from the journey to the lab. More importantly, though, was that Houndour was a Shadow Pokémon. The battle had just become a lot more serious. Michael swore to himself and was very glad he’d taken to keeping the Snag Machine with him at all times.

“Dodge them both, then counterattack with Ember and Shadow Blitz!” the red one commanded, but he was a split second too late.

Both attacks connected. The Houndour staggered, off-balance and reeling from the powerful attack (Return became more powerful the more attached a Pokémon was to its trainer, and Ursula was extremely attached to Michael for what he’d done to help and purify her), and the Slugma flinched. Rose, however, yelped and backed away from the Slugma, her mouth burned. Michael remembered belatedly that Slugma’s ability was Flame Body, which causes it to burn those who touch it. But neither of the Pokémon he’d chosen had any ranged attacks, so he’d just have to deal with the chance of burns.

“Switch partners, then repeat your attacks!” Michael said.

“Dodge them! Try to trip them up!” the red one countered.

Rose gratefully bounded toward the Houndour. It took off running, Rose chasing after it. Slugma was too slow to do more than shoot an Ember at Ursula’s feet; she gracefully leaped over the attack and skidded close to Slugma. Ursula hit the Slugma with a point-blank Return and fainted it; the attack was too quick to burn her. Meanwhile, Rose caught up with the Houndour, its stamina drained, and delivered a Bite to its flank. Because Houndour with part Dark-type, the attack didn’t do much damage, and the Pokémon didn’t faint.

“Shadow Blitz that Poochyena!” the red one called.

Houndour charged at Rose, who hadn’t been able to retreat terribly far, its shadowy aura flaring brightly on the Aura Reader.

“Dodge it!” Michael said. “Ursula, pull back and wait!” Houndour looked like it was ailing enough that he could snag it, but another attack from Ursula would cause it to faint and be recalled. He’d practiced many catching wild Pokémon scenarios on the sim machine back at the HQ Lab and knew just what signs to look for in a Pokémon that was ready to be caught (or, in this case, snagged).

“You’re going easy on me? You’re going to regret that, little boy!” the red one snarled, insulted.

Rose successfully dodged the first Shadow Blitz, and then Michael was ready. He grabbed a Pokéball with the Snag Machine and waited for the ball to stop glowing before he threw it at Houndour, which was mid-charge for a second attack.

Despite all the practice with the sim machines, Michael’s aim with his left arm was still bad. The ball flew straight over the Houndour’s head before opening, a darkly glowing hand emerging from within and grabbing Houndour. Its body burst into light, merging with the hand, before it was sucked into the ball. The ball clicked closed and dropped to the ground, wobbling.

“What?!” the red one screeched.

Michael held his breath. Would his snag succeed? There were a few tense seconds of quiet while Michael and the Hexagon Brothers watched the ball.

The Pokéball went still.

Another second, and it was flying back to Michael, recalled by the Snag Machine. The other Hexagon Brothers began whispering to each other as the red one gaped.

“Hey! What happened to my Pokémon? You stole it, didn’t you?” he said angrily. “How dare you play dirty, you brat! No one steals from the Hexagon Brothers, especially not Resix! Brothers! Ready?”

There was an answering roar from the rest of the Hexagon Brothers, ready to avenge Resix. Michael stepped back as he realized he may have made a mistake snagging the Houndour, if all the brothers were going to gang up on him.

“Prepare to face the full wrath of the Hexagon Brothers!” Resix announced before he was replaced by the blue-armored brother.

“My turn!” the blue one said. “I, Blusix, shall defeat you! Go, Horsea and Goldeen!”

Ursula, almost untouched from the previous battle, and Rose, despite nursing her burnt mouth, stepped up to the challenge. Michael suspiciously eyed the other brothers, but despite their anger, they seemed content to watch Michael battle one-on-one.

“Aren’t you all going to attack me?” he asked warily.

“Oh, we’ll all get a turn,” the green one said nastily. “Don’t worry. We found out the hard way that we hit each other when we attack sixfold, so we’ll all nicely wait our turn. Don’t think any of us will go easy on you!”

_Makes sense_ , Michael thought, grateful that the brothers wouldn’t attack him all at once and stuck to the Orre double battle tradition. Beating them all would be tough, but not impossible.

Thankfully, Michael could see on the Aura Reader that neither of Blusix’s Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon, so he shut the Aura Reader off and hoped that none of the other brothers had Pokémon to steal. He was still somewhat uncomfortable with snagging, even if he saw the necessity of it. Houndour’s Pokéball weighed heavily on his belt.

Michael turned his full attention to the next battle as Blusix began ordering his Pokémon to attack. “Return and Bite!”

The difference in skill level was obvious as Ursula and Rose teamed up to first beat Horsea, then Goldeen. Michael was grateful he’d spent time training more than just Apollo during the previous month at the HQ Lab. His Pokémon were both faster and more agile than both of the Hexagon Brothers he’d faced so far, running rings around their Pokémon and attacks. The only problem was Rose’s burn, which obviously pained her each time she landed a Bite on an opposing Pokémon. If he got the chance, he’d have to treat her with a burn heal before the burn damage could knock her out. He kept a close eye out for an opportunity, but none came.

Blusix returned his Goldeen, gnashed his teeth, and withdrew a third Pokéball. “Give ‘im something to chew on, Spheal!” he bellowed. The Pokémon appeared in a flash. Michael’s heart fell when he heard the telltale beeping from the Aura Reader and saw the purple aura around Spheal.

“Okay, Ursula, Return! Rose, fall back to me!” Ursula rushed the Spheal, claws glowing, while Rose ran back to Michael, who was fumbling with a burn heal he’d bought in Agate.

“Oh, no you don’t! Shadow Wave, Spheal!” The Spheal’s aura congealed in front of it before a thick black wave shot from its mouth. The wave hit Ursula head-on, and she tumbled back with a cry. It caught Rose from behind, sending her skidding into Michael’s legs with a pained yelp, almost knocking him over.

_Is it just me, or are Shadow Moves super effective on regular Pokémon?_ Michael thought unhappily as his Pokémon shakily picked themselves up. The move’s power didn’t seem to match up with how strong its effect was, but if Shadow Moves were super effective on regular Pokémon, he was in trouble.

“Ha! How do you like that, brat!” Blusix crowed. “Feel the wrath of the Hexagon Brothers!”

“Ursula, try again!” Michael called as he quickly stooped to spritz the burn heal into Rose’s mouth. He couldn’t afford to take his eyes off this battle for long.

“Shadow Wave again!” Blusix said, but it was too late. Ursula’s Return collided with the Spheal and sent it rolling away, squealing.

“Again!” Michael commanded as he sent Rose back into the fray, burn healed by the miraculous spray. “Now Bite, Rose!” He grabbed another Pokéball from his bag and held it tightly with the Snag Machine, altering the ball.

“Dodge them!” But Spheal was too slow to roll out of the way, and both attacks connected. It rolled to the side, moaning and almost incoherent, and Michael was right there with a Pokéball ready, glad he’d taken the time to practice on the sim machine to know exactly when to best catch a Pokémon. He threw the ball just as the Spheal had finished recovering and was about to use Shadow Wave again.

His aim was still off. The ball bounced on the ground before it hit the Spheal squarely in the nose. It opened, snatching the Spheal and dragging it inside the ball. Blusix wailed when he saw that Michael was trying to steal his Pokémon, too.

The Pokéball shook once, twice, thrice, then stilled.

Blusix’s wail became shriller. “Nooooo! My Spheal!”

Even while the Snag Machine was recalling the ball to Michael, another one of the brothers was stepping up and shoving Blusix to the side. “I, Greesix, will end your playtime with my sixfold power!” he proclaimed, bringing out two Pokéballs. “Oddish and Cacnea, I choose you!” The two Pokémon appeared on the battleground, ready to fight.

“Are you two okay?” Michael asked Ursula and Rose, both of whom were flagging. But they perked back up at his question. “Okay, then. Let’s go with Poison Fang and Return! Rose, you’ve got the Cacnea; Ursula, you’ve got the Oddish!”

“Stun Spore and Pin Missile!”

Michael’s Pokémon outsped both of Greesix’s. To his surprise, both Pokémon immediately fainted from the attacks. Greesix sent out another two Pokémon, a Shroomish and a Lotad, both of which looked small. _So he’s got a lot of Pokémon, but none of them are very strong_ , Michael surmised as he ordered his Pokémon to attack again. Like with the last pair, both Pokémon quickly fainted. Greesix scowled and sent out his final pair, a Pineco and a Seedot. The Aura Reader beeped warningly in Michael’s ear as a shadowy corona appeared around Seedot.

_Do all of these guys have Shadow Pokémon?_ Michael wondered as he altered his attack plan. “Focus on Pineco first! Poison Fang and Metal Claw!” Pineco withstood the first attack but not the second, leaving Seedot alone on the field.

“If you’re trying to steal this Pokémon like my brothers’, I won’t let you! I’ll finish you off before you have the chance! Seedot, Shadow Wave!” Greesix proclaimed, pointing at Michael theatrically. Seedot’s aura flared before a wave of purplish-black energy was released straight at Ursula and Rose.

“Jump over it!” Michael countered. Ursula jumped as high as she could, but the wave still brushed her toes and sent her sprawling. Rose couldn’t muster the energy to jump at all and was hit head-on. She skidded back before moaning and fainting, exhausted and battered. Michael shivered as the wave passed through him; unlike Spheal’s Shadow Wave, when his Pokémon had taken the hit in front of him, the crest of energy passed through his legs. It wasn’t strong enough to move him, but it sent chills skittering up and down his spine.

“Ha! One more to go!” Greesix crowed.

“Ursula! Return!” Michael barked, fingering Apollo’s Pokéball. He wanted to send out the Espeon for this battle, but he needed to conserve Apollo’s energy for the final three Hexagon Brothers, who were alternately cheering for Greesix and insulting Michael.

Ursula rammed into the Seedot, which was knocked over. As it struggled to its feet, Michael threw a Snag Ball, which he’d created a few seconds prior. Seedot wasn’t a particularly difficult Pokémon to catch in the wild, and Michael hoped the same principle applied with snagging. Greesix shouted in alarm, having not noticed the Snag Ball until it was too late. Silence fell as Michael and the brothers watched in trepidation as the third Snag Ball of the encounter wobbled… then stilled.

_That was lucky_ , Michael thought as the ball was recalled by the Snag Machine. He attached it to his belt, next to Spheal’s Pokéball.

Greesix howled as he turned away from Michael, arms pinwheeling, before he flopped face-first onto the desert sands, melodramatically sobbing. His brothers all crowded around him to comfort him except for the brown clad one, who stepped up to the area they were using as an impromptu arena.

“Go, Browsix!” Resix called. “Show that punk why you don’t mess with the Hexagon Brothers!”

Michael was starting to notice a pattern with the brothers’ names. He almost wanted to beat his head against something with how silly the names were, for all that they described the brothers perfectly. He sincerely hoped the names were just nicknames they’d given themselves.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!” Browsix shouted, releasing a Hoothoot and a Baltoy.

_I thought the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results?_ Apollo quipped to Michael as he was released, aware of what had happened the first three battles. Michael stifled a chuckle (not too hard, considering his headache had spiked with the last three Shadow Pokémon). He eyed the Baltoy through the Aura Reader, which he’d left activated throughout the battles. He was getting tired of seeing shadowy auras on the screen, as it meant his headache wouldn’t go away and was indicative of another abused Pokémon.

“He had another Pokémon?” Browsix wondered, eyeing the lanky Espeon.

“Okay, Apollo, Confusion and Ursula, Return on Hoothoot!” Ursula leapt forward and collided with the Hoothoot moments after it had staggered from the devastating Confusion attack. The Hoothoot didn’t stand a chance and fainted.

But that gave Browsix time to retaliate. “Shadow Blitz that Teddiursa!” Ursula was directly in the path of the attack and would have been hard-pressed to dodge the attack had she been fresh. As it was, the attack struck her fully, and she bounced back toward Michael with a cry. Amazingly, she tried to get to her feet once more for her trainer before she keeled over, unable to battle.

“Great job, Ursula,” Michael praised as he returned the Teddiursa to her ball. He fingered Houndour’s Pokéball, contemplating sending it into the battle to back up Apollo, but he didn’t want to send out Houndour when its previous owner was standing right there. Pokémon tended to obey whoever held their ball (with some exceptions for weak trainers), but Michael didn’t know how loyal Shadow Pokémon were and wanted to establish his command somewhere where Resix couldn’t undermine him. _With all the training he’s done, and if the brothers continue to be so weak, Apollo should be able to take the last two out by himself_ , he reasoned, withdrawing his hand from the ball. “Confusion again, Apollo!” he said out loud. If he remembered his Pokémon types and type match-ups correctly, the move wouldn’t be very effective on the Baltoy, but he was aiming to capture Baltoy, not faint it.

Apollo hurled a hunk of bewildering psychic energy toward the Baltoy, which was too slow to dodge. It began wobbling on the tip of its body and its eyes became unfocused. The attack had caused it to become confused! Michael wondered if it would accidentally hurt itself in its confusion. Even if it didn’t, he still had a brief window to act again safely.

“Shadow Blitz!”

“Confusion again!” Michael watched in astonishment as the Baltoy turned around and attacked Browsix, shadowy aura flaring in a fully-fledged Shadow Blitz. The man went down with a gurgle and a groan. Michael hoped the armor he wore would protect Browsix from the worst of the attack, because it had looked vicious. He hadn’t meant for the Shadow Pokémon to attack the trainer when he’d confused Baltoy!

The second Confusion hit, and the Baltoy bounced off of Browsix’s prone form, wobbling more wildly and looking as though it would fall over. Michael wasted no time in throwing his fourth Snag Ball and was exceedingly grateful that he’d bought so many Pokéballs at the Pokémart in Agate.

Like with the first three Snag Balls, the fourth sailed through the air, missed its target, opened midair, produced a shadowy hand that snatched the Baltoy, and fell to the ground wobbling. To his relief, Michael saw Browsix climbing to his feet, supported by his brothers. The man seemed to be okay but was staring at the shaking, then motionless Snag Ball in dismay.

A light flickered on the Snag Machine before Baltoy’s ball was recalled to Michael, who deftly caught it (much more easily than he’d caught Ursula’s ball after her snag, at any rate; he had the sims to thank for the improvement). He eyed the ball in confusion for a few moments – he’d used up all six Pokéball clips on his belt; where was he going to put Baltoy’s? – before the ball abruptly vanished from his hand.

Michael knew of the six Pokémon only rule (which decreed that trainers could only carry up to six Pokémon in their party beyond the confines of a registered Pokémon laboratory), but had never seen it enforced. People in Orre just didn’t get ahold of that many Pokémon; Greesix was a strange exception. Four tended to be the maximum number of Pokémon people had; three, two, and one Pokémon were much more common. The HQ Lab did offer a service, like other Pokémon labs, to look after caught Pokémon that couldn’t fit into a trainer’s party, but as far as Michael knew, no one utilized it, until now. He knew that the Pokéball was being teleported to the HQ Lab by a series of relays in space (which his P*DA exchanged information with), where it would wait, safe and sound, until Michael called to switch his Pokémon at a Pokémon Center or outpost or he returned to the Lab.

“Okay, that does it! Yellosix will take you out, you brat!” the brother in yellow armor proclaimed, taking Browsix’s place. “Electrike and Chinchou, I choose you!”

“Okay, Apollo, you know what to do. Confusion on one, then the other, and don’t let their attacks hit you!”

“You’re such a pest! Electrike, Chinchou, Thundershock together!” Apollo’s attack got to the Electrike before it could launch its attack – being trained to be a fast Pokémon did have its perks – but Chinchou’s Thundershock hit Apollo squarely, causing him to cry out in pain as electricity coursed through his body. When the Thundershock subsided, Apollo wasted no time in taking care of the Chinchou, though he was trembling.

“Ugh!” Yellosix backed up a step. “How can you be this strong?” He took out a final Pokéball, eyeing it carefully, before he shrugged his shoulders and called on a Mareep, which the Aura Reader identified as Shadow, to finish the battle. “This special Pokémon will set you straight, though!”

_How do they not realize I’m going for their Shadow Pokémon?_ Michael wondered as he commanded Apollo to use Bite instead of Confusion. _Are they really that unobservant?_

_Gack! Michael!_ Apollo sputtered after using Bite on Mareep. The attack had damaged the Mareep, but Michael had forgotten about Mareep’s ability: Static, which allowed it to occasionally paralyze a foe that made contact with it. Apollo staggered, trembling as paralysis took hold.

“Sorry, Apollo!” Michael said, abashed and worried. He knew he could snag Mareep now – he was charging a Pokéball just for that reason – but there was one last brother to fight, the one in purple. The brothers’ armor appeared to be colored based on which Pokémon type they used in battle. What type was purple? Psychic? Poison? If Purplsix (Michael guessed at the name) had Psychic-types, he was going to be in for a bad time.

Michael threw the Snag Ball, his worries about the next battle causing his aim to be even worse. The hand still scooped up Mareep and the ball clicked closed. Michael watched it wobble, confident from his previous snags that he’d successfully complete this one too.

A crackle of electricity ran over the surface of the ball before it burst open and shattered, Mareep reappearing in a burst of light. Michael jumped; he really wasn’t expecting the snag to fail. It was a lot like a failed capture in the wild, except that there was a trainer dancing excitedly behind Mareep, guffawing at his failed attempt. Michael’s heart pounded faster and he flushed; he felt uncertain and humiliated. He’d never failed a snag before. What would happen to the Pokémon if he couldn’t snag it?

_Chin up. He’s not recalling the Pokémon, is he? You’ve got another chance!_ Apollo soothed. Michael felt horrible, headache notwithstanding. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself for failing a snag while Apollo was still on the battlefield, paralyzed.

_Okay, another try,_ Michael thought, determined. He loaded another ball into the Snag Machine and waited for it to charge. Meanwhile, Apollo did his best to dodge the Shadow Blitz that Mareep attacked with. He was only partially successful, as the attack merely clipped his flank. When the second Snag Ball was ready, Michael threw it at Mareep, fully focused on the snag this time.

“Again?!” Yellosix yelped.

The ball shook… once… twice… thrice… and stilled. Michael let out a sigh of relief as the ball flew back to him, then vanished to the HQ Lab.

“But… you failed! You’re not supposed to be able to try again!” Yellosix yelled. “Purpsix, go crush his last Pokémon! You’re our last hope!” (Michael had been close with the name of the purple one…)

Purpsix took Yellosix’s place. “The time for mercy has long past!” he declared. “Go! Grimer! Koffing!”

Michael sighed in relief. If Purpsix’s Pokémon were all Poison-types, Apollo stood a chance of winning, even though he was paralyzed, because of the type advantage of Psychic over Poison. Apollo flicked his tail like a cat stalking its prey, apparently thinking along the same lines.

“Confusion, Apollo! First Grimer, then Koffing!” he commanded nasally as he covered his nose. The smell of the two Poison-types was really starting to bother him.

“Sludge!” Purpsix countered. Grimer fainted instantly from the super-effective Confusion, while Koffing took advantage of the opening while Apollo was focused on the Grimer to spit a wad of gross purple sludge at Apollo. The attack hit and spattered all over Apollo, who cried out and stumbled. Apollo shivered as the paralysis took hold, rendering him incapable of following up and attacking Koffing.

Purpsix, meanwhile, sent out a Tentacool to replace the Grimer. “Poison Sting and Poison Gas!” he commanded.

Michael straightened in alarm. If Koffing’s Poison Gas attack hit, Apollo would be poisoned as well as paralyzed, which would be disastrous. “Dodge it!” he said, going on the defensive. Apollo managed to overcome the paralysis and jump back, away from the noxious purple Poison Gas and hail of Poison Sting. “Now counter with Confusion!” Apollo hurled a hunk of psychic energy at the Koffing, which took the hit and fell to the ground, out cold.

“Ugh. For a little kid, you sure are tenacious!” Purpsix grumbled. “Go! Gulpin!”

Michael winced as Gulpin was identified as a Shadow Pokémon by the Aura Reader. Didn’t he ever get a break from stealing? “Target Tentacool first!” he ordered. One less Pokémon on the field would make it that much easier to snag Gulpin. This time, Apollo was able to fight the paralysis and attack Tentacool before it could strike with Poison Sting again and fainted it in one hit.

“Okay, Apollo, one more Pokémon to go! Keep it up!” Michael called encouragingly at the same time Purpsix said, “Shadow Blitz, Gulpin! Let’s end this!”

Michael could tell that if Apollo got hit by that attack, he wouldn’t be getting back up to fight. “Dodge it!” he called desperately, hoping against hope that the paralysis wouldn’t kick in and render Apollo immobile for a few seconds. He was taking a huge gamble on the quality of his Pokémon.

Apollo did not disappoint. He leapt straight up, letting the charging Gulpin pass harmlessly beneath him, then rammed into Gulpin from behind in a Tackle attack, sending it sprawling toward Michael.

“You’re the best, Apollo!” Michael said as he threw another Snag Ball at the Gulpin, which had been turning around to face Apollo again and hadn’t seen the threat coming from the trainer. Because Gulpin was so close, this time Michael’s aim was spot on, for once. The ball bounced off its rubbery hide, hovered in the air for a second, then disgorged the familiar hand that would snatch the Pokémon. The ball quivered in place for a heart-stopping ten seconds before it stilled and flew back to Michael.

Purpsix cowered away from him as the ball disappeared. “Ack! He beat all of us!”

A quiet murmur spread between the Hexagon Brothers. “What do we do now?” “That brat plays rough!” “With just three Pokémon… Just how strong is he?”

Seeing no more opposition, Michael stepped forward and scooped up Apollo, who had slumped to the dusty ground, exhausted from the battles and the paralysis. None of his Pokémon were fresh anymore. While it rankled, as he’d made the trip all the way to the middle of nowhere, perhaps it was for the best if he returned to Agate. If a six-battle beatdown that he’d barely managed to win was how they welcomed people at this lab, Michael didn’t even want to imagine what he’d be greeted with inside the lab.

Apollo gave him a questioning nudge, and Michael quietly revealed his conclusion. Apollo struggled in his arms. _But we just got here!_ he protested. _You’ve got some healing supplies, haven’t you? We can deal with whatever’s in the lab._

“That’s foolhardy, Apollo!” Michael replied. “We’re hardly in any shape to go carousing through that lab, if there are more like the Hexagon Brothers inside.”

_We won, didn’t we? If you get rid of this paralysis, I can definitely keep going_ , Apollo stubbornly said. _You want to find Professor Krane, don’t you?_

“We could wind up in the same position as the professor is if we explore this lab as we are now.”

_But maybe he’s here! Use your healing items and then see how the three of us are feeling._

Michael sighed; Apollo could be so stubborn. He rubbed his forehead to soothe the headache Apollo’s speech caused him compounded with the headache from the Aura Reader, then surreptitiously eyed the Hexagon Brothers. They had huddled in a circle, whispering to each other and paying Michael no attention.

Michael felt it was safe to release Ursula and Rose. They immediately fell on their faces when Michael released them from their Pokéballs. He exchanged a pointed look with Apollo before he started digging around in his bag for the Super Potions and Paralyze Heal he’d brought with them. He spritzed one Super Potion on each of his Pokémon, plus the Paralyze Heal for Apollo.

While he healed his Pokémon, Michael wondered why the Hexagon Brothers’ Pokémon hadn’t been difficult to catch. Perhaps part of it was that the Pokémon were trained to stay and fight instead of fleeing, as they could do in the wild. Another part could have been that all their Shadow Pokémon, from what he saw, had seemed to be young and not quite yet experienced with being captured. Why were they closing the hearts of such young Pokémon? It was cruel!

After finishing his ministrations, Apollo looked perky and ready to go again. Ursula and Rose still looked exhausted, but they were standing upright. Super Potions weren’t really meant to completely heal fainted Pokémon, and it showed.

“Hey! Kid!” Resix said. Michael hadn’t seen him approaching but immediately stood once he noticed Resix. The man eyed Michael for a couple of seconds before he said angrily, “Guess your mommy didn’t teach you manners, huh? Well, here’s a make-up lesson!” Resix pulled back his fist and decked Michael in the face before he or his Pokémon could do anything to intervene. Michael stumbled backwards, his jaw throbbing painfully and his vision spinning. He heard all three of his Pokémon growling.

“That’s for stealing our special Pokémon for us! But you’re just a kid, so we’ll let you off easy with just a warning. If you want to go inside, feel free. Just know that there are more guards on the inside you’ll have to beat if you want to play here!” Resix said. Michael heard him retreating.

Michael rubbed his jaw ruefully. He was lucky his jaw hadn’t broken. The throbbing did nothing to help his headache, and all Michael wanted to do was lay down and take a nap. Between the lengthy trip, the stress of six battles back-to-back, and his head hurting, Michael’s willpower was sapped.

Apollo brushed up against his leg comfortingly. _Come on,_ he said softly to not aggravate Michael’s headache. _Let’s go inside that building and get out of the sun._ Michael followed Apollo’s gaze to the left entrance.

_Great idea_ , Michael thought to himself, laboriously turning to the left entrance and making his way toward it. _The Hexagon Brothers were even nice enough to let us go inside._

The left building, Michael found out, was a storage area. Crates full of Pokémon goods were piled high along the walls. Near the back, there were some crates that appeared to be covering something, but Michael was in no mood to go digging. He plopped onto the floor, grateful that he was out of the scorching sun and in somewhere air conditioned. He lay his aching jaw on the cool tile.

It hurt to speak, but Michael had something to say to his Pokémon. “I’m sorry I pushed you guys so hard out there. It must have been rough.”

Ursula shook her head. “Teddiursa!!”

_It’s your job to push us and our job to give it our all_ , Apollo said firmly. _I’m sorry Resix hit you._

“Nah. I should’ve seen it coming. I was lucky with my first snags. I should be prepared for retaliation when I steal someone’s Pokémon,” Michael sighed, still uneasy that he was technically breaking the law with the Snag Machine.

Michael stood after a few minutes, feeling much better than when he’d entered the storage area. His headache had diminished and his jaw didn’t feel quite so tender anymore. He returned Ursula and Rose to their balls and turned to head out, but Apollo stopped him.

_Say, Michael, you know there’s no one in here to supervise and we’re probably on Cipher property anyway…_

“So anything we take was probably stolen to begin with,” Michael finished. “Good point.” He turned back toward the crates and began rummaging around in them, hoping that the Hexagon Brothers wouldn’t wonder what he was up to.

Most of the supplies were Pokéfood or laboratory equipment, but Michael did find some things of use. He found an entire crate of Super Potions, and he grabbed as many as would fit in his bag to replenish his depleted supply. In a crate at ground level near the entrance, Michael found one Great Ball and one Revive, which he was giddy about. Then, in a crate stacked near the top of a pile that Michael had to climb precariously to, he found an actual Leaf Stone. He held it gingerly, afraid it would spontaneously combust. These were super rare; how had maybe-Cipher gotten ahold of one?

_Well, we can’t let them keep it_ , Apollo pointed out. Michael nodded and pocketed the Leaf Stone. Maybe someone at the HQ Lab would have a use for it.

Just as Michael was getting ready to go back outside, he received an email from his mother.

“ _Hi, Michael. I’m checking up on you because I’m worried. Shadow Pokémon have appeared in the Lab’s holding area; what are you doing? Please let me know you’re safe._ ”

Michael quickly opened a blank email and guiltily told his mother that he was fine. He didn’t tell her where he was; she’d either order him to return or fret incessantly. He could handle himself. Email sent, Michael returned outside, ready to explore whatever the right entrance led to.

The Hexagon Brothers were positioned in a circle and at it again. Amused, despite knowing how tough they all were together, Michael watched their comedic routine.

“Sound off!” Resix called.

“One!” said Blusix.

“Two!” said Browsix.

“Three!” said Yellosix.

“Four!” said Purpsix.

“Five!” said Greesix.

“Six!” said Resix.

“Seven!” said Blusix.

“Eight! …Wait. Eight? Now there’s too many of us!” said Browsix.

“Hmm! Brothers, beware! There may be spies among us!” Resix pointed out.

Then the moment was ruined when Browsix noticed him. “Hey, look. It’s that kid again!” All six brothers turned to stare at Michael, but after some grumbling, they returned to their huddle.

Happy that they were ignoring him and rubbing his sore jaw, Michael and Apollo entered the right-hand building, ready to explore and find the professor.

Inside the lab was sparkling clean. Dust? What dust? Cipher’s old lab was obviously well-kept. How the authorities had missed this in their searches, Michael had no idea. There were two doorways, one that led deeper into the lab and the other that led to the lab’s unmanned security booth. But Michael’s attention was caught by the Healing Machine by the door leading deeper into the lab. He’d seen Nurse Heather use them before, and he’d used one once by himself under supervision at the lab. They would restore Pokémon’s energy.

Michael carefully examined this Healing Machine. It looked like any other Healing Machine, each button and light in its proper place. Satisfied that the Healing Machine seemed to be in good shape and that it wasn’t something nefarious disguised as a Healing Machine, he unclipped all his Pokéballs from his belt save Apollo’s and slotted them into the machine. Now, if he was remembering correctly, first he had to turn this knob, then toggle that switch, then push a button…

The machine slots glowed as the machine started up. Michael watched the displays as the machine analyzed each Pokémon within its ball and specially tailored the healing experience for the maximum benefit of each Pokémon. Ursula and Rose needed healing most badly, for all that they’d been healed previously. It took about a minute for the machine to finish. It dinged to let Michael know it was safe to pick up his Pokéballs again.

Michael eyed the shrunken Pokéballs containing the Houndour, Spheal, and Seedot he’d snagged. The Hexagon Brothers outside had been tough, and he had a feeling he’d need the power of the Shadow Pokémon to get through the lab. It was strange, having a full party of six, when in Orre having three or four Pokémon was an accomplishment. There was a corner near the Snag Machine that would be perfect for meeting his new Pokémon, so Michael released the Houndour and knelt down so he could see it better. Apollo, knowing the drill, stepped up to Michael’s side, ready to diffuse tension.

Michael could immediately tell that Houndour was of a different stock than Ursula, Rose, and Marie had been. Instead of fiery anger, the Houndour was emotionless and cold, ready to obey orders. Michael hesitantly introduced himself and Apollo and told Houndour that he was its trainer now. Houndour cocked its head to the side, confused by the explanation. Michael realized with unease that it had already accepted his command. Just how badly were Shadow Pokémon treated, to not have any emotions or qualms about following the direction of someone new? Michael unhappily returned the pliant Houndour to its Pokéball and released the Spheal.

Spheal acted in the same way as Houndour did: with calm expectance and readiness. Michael was beginning to realize how well the label of emotionless fighting machine fit for these Shadow Pokémon. How was he supposed to use these Pokémon in battle with good conscience?

_Awful as it is, we need their power_ , Apollo said, correctly guessing the source of his trainer’s distaste.

Finally, he released the Seedot. This Pokémon reacted in the manner Michael was used to: rage because of the switch in routine. Thankfully, Apollo was able to calm the Seedot before it attempted to Shadow Blitz Michael. One Michael could get close enough, he stroked the Seedot’s hard shell soothingly and was rewarded with a tentative nuzzle.

Once it had calmed and accepted his authority, Michael returned Seedot to its Pokéball. “Ready, Apollo?” he asked.

_Absolutely_ , Apollo replied. _Hide me and let’s go._ Michael returned Apollo to his Pokéball and then crossed the threshold.

There was a rustle from above, and then suddenly, there was someone in front of him. Michael jumped back with a shout, startled. Had this person jumped down from the _ceiling?!_

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be in here!” said the woman, looming over him.

“Ergh,” Michael replied intelligently, still reeling from the ambush. Then his brain kicked into gear. “I’m, uh, here for bring your kid to work day?”

The woman stared at him for what seemed like forever. Michael couldn’t tell what she was thinking behind her visor and sweated.

“Well, I wasn’t told about it, but okay. Who’s your parent? Maybe I can help take you to them,” she said.

“Um… they work in the R&D department…?” R&D departments were common in labs, weren’t they?

“Okay. Down the elevator and to your left. Come join Cipher when you’re older. We’ve got some great benefits.”

_So this_ is _Cipher! Why are they still functioning?_ Michael thought. _And I can’t believe that worked_ …

The woman nodded at him before running over to a ladder on the wall and climbing it. Michael watched disbelievingly as she melted into the shadows above the hanging lights, hiding out of sight.

_That’s not disconcerting…_ he thought. _Will all the guards be hiding in the rafters?_ He approached the elevator, unsettled.

The first level down was the only one he could access without an ID card. Michael exited the elevator and cautiously looked around. He was alone, thankfully. His flimsy excuse wouldn’t hold up forever. He was in a branching hallway with a transparent door straight ahead. Michael tried the door and found it locked from the other side. Since he was trying to find Professor Krane, not the R&D department, he chose the right hallway to follow.

The hallway led to an open locker room. There was someone in this room; Michael could hear him grumbling to himself. He peered around the corner and saw that the scientist’s back was turned, so Michael crept closer, hoping to hear some news about Krane.

 “Ugh… XD001’s failure is going to send our plans right off the rails…” the man sighed.

_XD001?_ Michael wondered. _What’s that?_

“I wish we’d finish up with this research and get out from this dank underground warren,” the man grouched. Michael’s luck ran out then, as the scientist turned around. “Ack! Who are you?! Where’d you get in from?!”

“Oh, uh, it’s bring your kid to work day—”

“We don’t do that here! You’re an intruder! What are the Hexagon Brothers doing upstairs? Never mind, I’ll do their job for them!” the scientist snarled. “Go, my Pokémon! Drive him out!”

Michael sent out Apollo and Houndour to defend himself and prepared for battle.

The battle was over quickly. The scientist’s Pokémon weren’t terribly strong in comparison to Apollo and a Shadow Pokémon, and the man himself was obviously more of a thinker than a fighter.

After the battle, the scientist said, “Well, I’ll just have to manhandle you out the hard way, then!” He stepped toward Michael, intending to force him to leave, but Houndour stepped in between the two, growling. It looked ready to pounce. Michael gripped Houndour’s Pokéball tightly. If it attacked the man, Michael would be able to recall it right away.

“Hey, your Houndour… This is bad news! I’ve got to alert Lovrina about this security breach!” He dashed past Michael before he or his Pokémon could react.

“Oh no,” he whispered. He had a feeling he didn’t want to run into this Lovrina person, for all that the peons were easily defeated. His time here was rapidly running out. He had to find Krane, or a clue to his whereabouts, quickly. He recalled Houndour, but left Apollo out for an extra set of eyes.

He and Apollo found an elevator in the locker room. Wherever it led to, Michael couldn’t access it, as he needed some kind of keycard. Otherwise, the room was a dead end.

“Crap, all that and we run into a locked elevator,” Michael sighed. “Well, they were going to notice us eventually, but I’d still rather not run into whoever is in charge this place. Let’s go! If we keep moving, they’ll have a harder time finding us. Let’s see if there’s anything in the R&D department.”

Michael and Apollo followed the hallway down to another tube elevator. This one was actually unlocked, so they took it down to another room. This room was dark and full of complex machinery Michael could only guess the function of. Some kind of foul stench mixed with ozone permeated the air. Apollo almost sneezed, but contained it when they saw another scientist working at a computer console. This one was also talking to himself.

“When are they finally going to get that guy to spill the beans about that purification research?” he complained. “He might be the authority on purification, but if he won’t talk, our work’s not going anywhere.”

Michael gasped. “Professor Krane _is_ here!” _…Oops._

“Agh! What are you doing there?” the man exclaimed.

Maybe the excuse would still work… “It’s bring your kid to work day?”

“Oh, okay. All I want to do is work on my research. Don’t disturb me, please!” The scientist turned back to his computer console, muttering to himself.

_At least it still works somewhat_ , Apollo said. _Let’s get all the mileage we can out of it._

Michael wove his way through the machines, Apollo on his heels. He wondered why he wasn’t seeing more of the personnel. He shivered as he remembered the ambush from above. He looked up, but the ceiling was cloaked in shadows.

Then, after winding through rows and rows of machines, Michael finally spotted a staircase leading up. He could access more of the lab through here. He eagerly started forward when—

_Look out!_ Apollo shouted. Michael stumbled backwards. Another Cipher agent landed right where Michael had been standing. Had Michael not moved, he would have been pinned to the ground, winded under the bulk of the agent.

“You know, I heard you, and Cipher doesn’t have a bring your kid to work day,” the agent said.

“Well, maybe they should have one,” Michael said snidely while grabbing Houndour’s Pokéball in preparation for battle.

“Too bad for you, kid, for wandering in here! My Shadow Pokémon will take you out!”

This Cipher agent wasn’t nearly as difficult to beat as even one of the Hexagon Brothers. Were the guards of this place simply for show? None of them were good battlers. Michael didn’t have any trouble snagging the Spinarak the agent had, either.

After the Cipher agent retreated, stung from the loss, Michael and Apollo climbed the stairs to the next level. There was an open door with a keypad and an open area with some water features.

_This must be the lounge_ , Michael thought.

Apollo’s ears pricked. _Hey, do you hear that?_ he said. _Come over here._ Apollo trotted to one of the walls and pressed his ear against it. _It’s Professor Krane!_ Michael hurried over to join the Espeon. The voices were clear through the wall.

The first thing he heard was a sickeningly feminine voice. “…rane. When will you tell me about your purification study? I do _so_ want to know! That will let me power up my XD001. I made it myself! Don’t you think that would be fabulous?”

“You’ve got to be joking! I would never cooperate with people like you!” Michael stiffened and exchanged a glance with Apollo when he heard Professor Krane. It was great to get confirmation that the professor was here!

The young woman spoke again. “Oh, but why? I _so_ don’t get it! Why would you refuse an offer _so_ wonderful as this?”

“I don’t care how often you repeat yourself,” Krane snorted. “I have no intention of helping your Shadow Pokémon plan. Artificially slamming shut the hearts of Pokémon… It’s inexcusable. Put a stop to it immediately!”

“Oh, you! You are _so_ mean and close-minded! You won’t even try to understand how marvelous it is to help my XD001! Naps!”

“Yes’m! Sister Lovrina!” Naps said. Michael recognized that voice as the individual who’d had Ursula! He was here, too?

“This is all _so_ your fault! Professor Krane is oh _so_ cross because you were _so_ rude when you invited him here!” Lovrina huffed.

“You can’t be serious. Listen to the man already! He’s been saying all along that he won’t help our Shadow Pokémon plan…” Naps said.

“I can’t hear you!” Lovrina sing-songed. “The plan is perfect! …XD001’s condition was off by just a little tiny bit.”

“Being off by just a little tiny bit is enough to make it drop a ship? And would you look at the uproar…”

“Naps! It’s _so_ all your fault what happened, every tiny little bit! _So_ … you _so_ do something about it!” Lovrina snapped.

There was a silence for a moment before Michael heard a new voice, that of one of the scientist he’d beaten in the locker room. “Lovrina! Big news! There’s some kid running around the lab like he owns the place! He beat me and I couldn’t get past his Pokémon – he had Resix’s Shadow Houndour, for some reason – so he’s still loose in the lab!”

“Ooh! This is _so_ not what I had in mind for today!” Lovrina growled. “Naps! I’ll deal with this brat; you keep working on Professor Krane!” She paused for a second. “I _so_ didn’t want to resort to this, but I’m getting impatient. Get that information the hard way, if necessary!” Michael heard retreating footsteps and knew he had to keep moving to find Professor Krane in the maze of the lab, but he wanted to hear Krane’s voice for a little longer. He could afford that much time.

“Naps, was it? You have my sympathy. What a nightmare it must be to have someone like her as your boss,” Krane said, always trying to be the peacekeeper.

“You put a lid on it! When it comes right down to it, it’s _so_ all your fault. Come on, help us with XD001!” Naps cajoled.

“First, we need to talk. I’ll teach you why it’s such a bad mistake to create Shadow Pokémon,” Krane replied.

“I told you to shut it!” Naps roared. Then there was the sound of metal hitting flesh, a bang, and pained coughing. “You like that? Well, there’s more where that came from if you don’t tell us about purification!” Apollo growled and Michael hissed. Krane had been punched! By a man in full-body armor, no less. They had to get Krane out of here fast. They heard more sounds of impacts and pain before Michael couldn’t stand to listen anymore. He ripped himself away from the wall.

“Come on, Apollo,” he said angrily. “Let’s go rescue the professor.”

Michael tried to proceed but he was almost immediately ambushed by another Cipher agent, who swooped down from the ceiling to land right in front of Michael. “Rescuing the professor? Uh-uh, not gonna happen!”

This time, Michael called on Spheal and Seedot to battle this agent’s Pokémon, leaving Apollo on the sidelines. Michael was becoming more and more convinced that Shadow Moves were super effective against regular Pokémon when the Shadow Waves from both his Pokémon sent the agent’s Pokémon crashing through the room. The agent gritted her teeth and sent out a Shadow Numel to counter Michael’s Shadow Pokémon. The Shadow Waves and Shadow Blitzes now hardly did any damage to the opposing Shadow Pokémon, so Michael figured that Shadow Moves were super effective against regular Pokémon and not very effective against other Shadow Pokémon. It was useful information.

Finally, Michael felt comfortable attempting to snag the Numel. It took two tries, the first of which had the agent surprised enough that Michael could safely charge and throw another Snag Ball without interference.

The agent fled after her Numel was snagged. “I’m not paid enough to deal with snaggers!” she wailed.

After she was gone, Michael said uncomfortably, “I think I’m becoming far too comfortable with stealing other people’s Pokémon, Shadow or not.” He eyed his left, gloved hand, feeling like he was becoming a criminal.

_Hey_ , Apollo said, _You’re not nearly as bad as these guys. You’re saving these Pokémon, remember?_

“Yeah. Thanks, Apollo.” Michael rubbed his head, but the reassurance was more than worth the headache.

The pair ran down a long hallway to another elevator. _How many elevators does this place have?_ Apollo complained as they got on the elevator.

“A lot, apparently,” Michael said dryly when they got off on a different floor to find another elevator right next to the one they’d disembarked. “Shall we?” This tube elevator went to the same floor as Professor Krane was being held but only led to a closed conference room.

Michael and Apollo boarded the elevator again. “Well, that was a waste of time.” They got off the elevator and followed the hallway to a fork. “Now, right or left…?”

“…and it is _so_ all your fault I have to deal with this! You are _so_ going to—”

_It’s Lovrina!_ Apollo hissed. She was coming from around a bend to the left, so Michael and Apollo rushed to the right and hurried through an entrance leading to a laboratory. Michael looked around, only taking in that it was empty and that they were caught in a dead end.

“Hide!” he whispered, then squeezed himself between a filing cabinet and the wall on the far side of the room. Apollo squished himself between Michael’s head and the wall, refusing to be recalled. They heard footsteps approaching the room and were focused on listening for Lovrina.

But then the smell hit.

Michael gagged. It smelled like blood and feces and noxious chemicals all wrapped into one. How had he not noticed it immediately? It was horrible! Apollo buried his head in Michael’s shirt to help filter the stench.

_Where_ are _we?_ Michael wondered unhappily, holding his nose with one hand and breathing through his mouth. It helped a little bit.

“—is that brat? He is _so_ going to be sorry when we catch him!” Michael reflexively shoved himself further back into his hiding space. He and Apollo held their breaths as they heard footsteps approaching.

“Ugh! This is _so_ annoying!” Lovrina complained. Michael didn’t dare peek his head out to see where she was. He heard her touring the room, chattering all the while. Her footsteps approached and receded numerous times as she searched the room. Michael thought his heart might burst from his chest.

And then it got worse. Something slimy and gooey dripped from the ceiling into Michael’s lap. The substance seeped through his pants quickly; it was cold and gross and reeked of blood and Michael wanted it gone _right now._ He felt like something was creeping up and down his spine. But he couldn’t move, or else he’d be discovered. His stomach lurched as he felt some of it drip into his hair, and he barely stopped himself from throwing up. He focused on the warmth of Apollo on his back and hoped the Espeon was spared whatever was dripping on him.

Then someone appeared in his field of vision. All he really noticed beyond the hammering in his chest was that she was short and that her hair, long enough to brush her knees, was a shocking color of pink and tied up in pigtails. All she had to do was turn around, and she’d see Michael.

Then, miracles upon miracles, something shattered. The girl’s head instantly snapped toward the noise. She stomped her foot. “You clumsy oaf! Watch where you’re going! You are _so_ cleaning that up before we go anywhere!”

“Yes, Lovrina, ma’am!” Lovrina stomped back out of Michael’s field of view, grumbling under her breath about incompetent assistants. Michael and Apollo waited for an excruciating minute while the scientist cleaned up whatever he’d knocked over.

Lovrina snapped. “I am _so_ wasting my time here. The brat’s not in here; let’s go.”

“But I’m not—”

“I _so_ don’t care right now. Get moving!”

And, just like that, they were gone.

Michael slumped, tension he hadn’t noticed draining from his shoulders. He squeezed back into the open, Apollo clinging to him. Once he’d left his hiding space, he looked down to see what had dripped on him. It was some kind of congealed liquid, such a dark red it was almost black. Michael grimaced and swiped a hand through his hair. It was gooey and clumped on his hand. He took a tentative sniff and was almost overpowered by the scent of blood and chemicals. He wiped his hand on his pants and shuddered. He looked up where he had been hiding, but, like with the other rooms, the ceiling was shadowed and out of sight.

Apollo’s claws tightened in his shirt. _Michael_ , he said, subdued.

Michael finally took in the room he’d hidden in. His eyes widened. He was in a laboratory; that much was for certain. But he’d never been in a laboratory so _revolting_.

All along one wall, there were tanks of fluid. Floating motionless in the tanks were Pokémon of all shapes, sizes, and colors. More than half of them sported some sort of incision or untreated wound. A few had tell-tale Y incision marks on their chests; one Pokémon was pinned open for all the world to see its insides. The lab tables were similarly horrific, with bloody parts of Pokémon floating in containers or out on the lab tables, scalpels still dripping with blood. Someone had been in the middle of an experiment before Michael had barged in and had left their tools scattered about. The floor was sprinkled with dried blood and fresh chemicals from where the scientist had spilled a beaker.

Mesmerized with horror, Michael stepped closer to the tanks. He pressed his fingers against a tank containing a stitched-up Furret. The Furret suddenly came alive, squirming and yowling. Michael jumped back, startled. It threw itself against the side of the tank, trying to claw Michael to shreds. A set of stitches came undone in its struggles, and a fresh cloud of blood floated into the tank. Michael could only watch, horrified, as the poor Furret’s struggles weakened as it lost strength.

Michael stumbled over to a chair, legs suddenly weak. He’d been stuck in a _Pokémon experimentation lab_ and he hadn’t even noticed until Lovrina was gone?! It did explain the smell and the sticky substance. Someone’s bloody experiment had, somehow, found its way onto the ceiling to drip onto Michael. Were they trying to get rid of it? Did they have a contest of who could throw organs the farthest? Michael shuddered and tried to ignore the residue sticking to his clothes and hair. He felt like he needed to take a long, scalding shower to burn the remnants of this place from himself. He groped for Apollo, who was still clinging to his shoulders, frozen with horror. He held the Espeon close, trying to banish the memory of the dissected Pokémon from his mind.

He finally understood the true horrors of what Cipher was doing to refine the Shadowfication process. He wished he didn’t.

After a few minutes, Michael forced himself to stand. He needed to keep going. As awful as he felt, every second he wasted meant that Krane was still suffering at the hands of Cipher. He needed to be rescued from this awful place. Still holding Apollo in his arms, he exited the room.

Michael followed the left fork from where he’d been waylaid by Lovrina and found yet another fork in the path. This lab was extensive. He found another tube elevator along one fork and decided to get off the floor with the horrible room. He was discharged into another long hallway.

Along the way, Michael was ambushed and challenged by yet another Cipher agent, this one with a Shadow Carvanha. Michael was off his game during the entire battle, still shaken by the horrific laboratory he’d been forced to hide in. He managed to win thanks to the strength of the Shadow Pokémon he’d snagged and because his opponent underestimated him as a weak child, but neither Spheal nor Seedot were in any condition to battle any longer.

Michael continued searching through the lab, trying to find a way to Professor Krane or maybe a key card to access that locked elevator he’d run into. He searched many rooms, some of which were labs and some of which held empty cages for Pokémon. Thankfully, none of them were quite as horrific as the room Michael had hidden in. He also ran across numerous scientists, all of whom bought his story that he was the kid of someone working at the lab, for which Michael was grateful. Maybe the mess in his hair and on his clothes helped his cover story?

Eventually, Michael found his way to another conference room, this one bigger than the last. He cautiously opened the door and found two scientists inside, chatting.

“Whew, I never thought that Cipher’s big man would deign to show up here in person,” one said. “I saw him in real flesh and blood, and he’s menacing! The sight of him gave me shivers!”

“Master Greevil’s supposedly making a personal tour of all of Cipher’s facilities,” said the other. Michael tucked away the name Greevil for later reference. “I think he wants to confirm that everything is fine so he can proceed with his plans without ending up with a fiasco like last time.” He was referencing the previous Shadow Incident, with Wes and Rui.

Then they noticed him. “What?! Who are you?! You suspicious intruder!”

“It’s bring your kid to work day—”

“Like hell it is! How long were you there?! You might be just a kid, but we can’t let you walk out!”

Michael battled this scientist; like the last scientist he’d battled, the man was a thinker rather than a fighter, taking care to coordinate his moves but slow to react to changes in the battle. He also had a Shadow Shroomish, which Michael snagged without too many difficulties.

“You’re that snagger everyone’s talking about! How did I not recognize that thing on your arm?” the man cried as his Shroomish was whisked away to the HQ Lab.

Then he composed himself. “Did you maybe come to rescue Krane?” he asked. “Don’t bother trying. You don’t know how scary Lovrina – she’s in charge here – can be. She looks cute and all, but she’d nothing short of terrifying. Get out of here while you still can. It’s for your own good!” Michael warily eyed the other scientist, but he seemed disinclined to battle. Michael, having noticed something on the table, picked up a plastic card. It was an ID card to access a forbidden area of the lab.

_This could be useful_ , Michael thought as he pocketed the ID card.

Michael exited the room through another door and found himself back near the entrance of the lab. He’d taken a huge, winding circle of the lab. He decided to take a quick stop upwards to the healing machine upstairs, as his entire party was exhausted. Technically, trainers and health care professionals weren’t supposed to use such machines very often, as they could be detrimental to the health of Pokémon in the long run, but Michael could see no other choice. He needed his defenses high and ready in case he ran into any more opposition in the lab.

Michael returned downstairs, ignoring the other levels of the lab he could now access since he’d explored them all, and went to the elevator that had been locked to him before to try the ID card he’d gotten from the scientist. The ID reader flashed green, and the elevator opened.

Michael found himself in an empty office with a stairwell. He heard voices from up the stairwell.

“Y-you understand, don’t you? It’s wr-wrong to turn o-ordinary Pokémon into sh-Shadow Pokémon.”

Professor Krane was upstairs! Michael rushed up the stairs to find Krane and Naps in a standoff. Krane was doubled over, while Naps was towering over him, armored fists spotted with blood.

Michael saw red. “Apollo, Spheal, go!”

“Whoa! You… Aren’t you that kid I saw at the Pokémon HQ Lab that time?” Naps said before calling out his own Pokémon, a Slakoth and a Rhyhorn.

Krane was astonished. “M-Michael? Is it r-really you, Michael?!” he panted.

“I’ve come for Professor Krane,” Michael growled. “Stand aside.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you came here by your lonesome to rescue Professor Krane?” Naps asked disbelievingly. “I’d say that’s incredible, but I’m a member of Cipher. I can’t very well let you folks go now, can I? And kid… You snagged my Teddiursa from me that time! I’ll give you this. You’ve got guts to come here alone. But I’ll fix you so good you’ll never get out again!”

“You wish! Apollo, Confusion on Slakoth! Spheal, Water Gun on Rhyhorn!”

“Scratch and Tackle that Espeon!”

“Double teaming Apollo? Apollo, dodge! Spheal, that leaves them wide open for you!” Apollo used Confusion on the Slakoth while Rhyhorn charged. Just after Apollo finished his attack, he gracefully leapt to the side, allowing Rhyhorn to sail past him. Spheal took advantage of the opening, firing a powerful Water Gun at Rhyhorn. The attack hit its flank dead-on, sending it sailing into the wall, knocked out.

“What was that about fixing me good?” Michael taunted as Naps returned his Rhyhorn. With a scowl, Naps sent out a Murkrow. Meanwhile, Slakoth finished loafing around and hit Apollo with a Scratch.

“Spheal, Shadow Wave! Apollo, return!” Michael called, knowing the Espeon had a type disadvantage to Murkrow.

“Running with your tail between your legs, huh? Well, chew on this: Pursuit!” Naps said. Before Michael could return Apollo to his Pokéball, the Murkrow hit Apollo with the Dark-type move, doubly effective since Apollo was switching out. Apollo’s cry of pain echoed in the room as he was returned, his body turning into red light that was reabsorbed by the Pokéball.

_He’ll be okay_ , Michael reassured himself as he sent out Rose. “Poison Fang that Murkrow, Rose! Follow up behind Spheal’s Shadow Wave!”

Spheal used Shadow Wave on Slakoth and Murkrow, fainting the former and sending the latter reeling. While the Murkrow was recovering, Rose jumped up to Poison Fang it. Murkrow screeched in pain as it was poisoned by the attack.

Naps returned his Slakoth and sent out a Beldum. “Take Down and Pursuit that Shadow Spheal!”

“Roll away!” Michael ordered. Spheal started to roll away from the attacks, but it wasn’t fast enough or experienced enough to use its shape to its advantage. Both attacks connected, one after the other, sending Spheal spinning away, knocked out.

“Good job, Spheal,” Michael said, returning the Pokémon. “Go! Houndour! Use Ember on that Beldum! And Rose! Bite!”

“Take Down and Pursuit!” Murkrow rose in the air in preparation for another attack, but then it fell to the ground, out cold from the poison. Naps grit his teeth and returned the Pokémon. Though Beldum was his toughest Pokémon, between Rose and Houndour wearing it down, it wouldn’t last very long.

Beldum attacked Rose with a Take Down, and she was sent flying away, yelping. When she landed, she bared her teeth and growled at the Beldum. Suddenly, Rose was glowing a bright white.

Michael gasped. “With how tough the battle’s been…”

“…it’s not t-terribly surprising she’s evolving,” Krane finished.

Rose’s small form grew larger, into the powerful, lithe form of a Mightyena. She growled, her voice lower than it had been as a Poochyena, and she attacked Beldum with a powerful Bite. Combined with a follow-up Ember from Houndour, the Beldum fainted.

Naps returned his Pokémon and started toward Michael, intent on physical harm. Snarls from Rose and the Houndour convinced him otherwise, and he fled toward the stairwell instead.

But then Naps stopped and turned. “Professor Krane, you folks don’t have the foggiest notion about how big and scary Cipher is. It’s not smart to resist. You can go on about the poor abused Pokémon and all, but you should think about your own selves. That’s my advice.” He disappeared down the stairwell.

“Michael! Did you really come here by yourself?” Krane asked clearly, having gotten his breath back during the battle.

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing! And so was your battle! …What happened to you? Is that blood?!”

“It’s not mine, so it’s not important. We need to leave.”

“Understandable. It’s dangerous here. We’d better get out right away instead of chatting,” Krane said.

As he and Michael ran for the exit, Krane continued, “My worst fears turned out to be true about Cipher. They weren’t wiped out. This is just one of their bases. But the details can wait.”

They were almost there. They nearly made it out of the lab unscathed. But just as they were about to reach the final elevator, two figures disembarked. Michael recognized the scientist he’d fought earlier and the girl as Lovrina from when he’d hidden in the lab.

_Shit, we ran into the boss!_ Michael lamented as he pushed a suddenly quiet Krane behind him.

“Oh! Hey, you! You sneaked Krane out?!” the tattletale scientist yelped, then pointed at Michael. “Lovrina! This child here, he’s the intruder!”

Lovrina held up a hand. “Oh, wait! Wait! I _so_ have not heard about anyone leaving anywhere! Professor Krane is _so_ going to be very busy, oh _so_ very busy! So, please be a nice boy and don’t disturb us,” she said sweetly, batting her lashes.

“We’re going back to the HQ Lab. Stand aside, please,” Michael said.

“Going back? Seriously! You are _so_ joking! This _so_ happens to be where Professor Krane works from now on,” she tittered. “After all, we _so_ need him to keep working on his studies. He _so_ is the key to our plan. XD001… The ultimate Shadow Pokémon that can never be purified!”

“Stop that nonsense! Do you seriously think that I would help you do something so horrible?” Krane snapped.

Lovrina stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. “Oh… That Naps! He _so_ must have made a boo-boo again! I _so_ have to punish him lots!” she growled. Michael tensed as she turned her attention to him and her voice became sweet. “Little boy, maybe you can convince Professor Krane. You should _so_ tell him to study our XD001. You see, our plan is to make Shadow Pokémon that can never ever be purified. XD001 is only our first prototype. So, when we work out the problems, we can make combat units with XD-series Pokémon. Wouldn’t that be just peachy? But we _so_ need the professor’s cooperation for our plan. So please, sweetie, can you please ask him nicely to help?”

“Of course not!” Michael replied, aghast by the plan and worried that Lovrina was confident enough to say so much. She wasn’t going to let them leave. He settled into a fighting stance and sent out Houndour and Rose in preparation for the inevitable conflict.

“Oh, how nasty! You silly boy! You _so_ won’t help me with XD001 either? Oh, you’ll be sorry now! But you will understand! A little hurt is _so_ persuasive!” Lovrina laughed gratingly. “My Pokémon will _so_ rip you to shreds! Get him, Luvdisc and Beautifly!”

“Use Ember and Bite on Beautifly!” Michael commanded, starting the battle aggressively.

“Water Gun and Silver Wind!” Lovrina countered. She laughed when her attacks impacted first, sending both Houndour and Rose skidding. But the tables soon turned as Houndour fired an Ember attack at Beautifly and the newly evolved Rose followed up with a Bite. Beautifly shook off both attacks and used Silver Wind on Rose again. This time, Rose couldn’t get up from the attack, already damaged as she was from the previous battle, and she fainted. Michael recalled her and sent out Seedot.

“Shadow Wave and Howl!” Michael said. Seedot shot off a Shadow Wave, powerful enough that it knocked out the Beautifly, and Houndour used Howl to boost its morale and attack stat. “Now Shadow Blitz!” Houndour charged at Luvdisc, its shadowy aura flaring.

But Lovrina was ready. “Water Gun!” she called as she sent out her third Pokémon, a Roselia. Before Houndour could get to Luvdisc, it was hit with a second Water Gun, rendering it unable to battle anymore as it slumped over with a tired moan. Michael recalled Houndour and then nodded to Apollo, who was eagerly but patiently waiting his turn by Michael’s side.

“Confusion and another Shadow Wave on that Luvdisc!” Michael said.

“Magical Leaf and Attract!” Lovrina said.

_Uh oh. If Attract manages to infatuate one of my Pokémon, they’ll be unable to attack the Luvdisc!_ Michael thought. He needn’t have worried, though. Seedot used its Shadow Wave before Luvdisc could use Attract on it, and Apollo was unaffected by the other Pokémon’s advances. Seedot cried out at the same time as its attack hit Luvdisc, upset that it had attacked before it had fallen in love. It went into Reverse Mode, its emotions in turmoil even as Apollo used Confusion on its love.

“Seedot!” Michael called before the Pokémon did something detrimental, like hurt itself or attack Apollo in its anguish. It didn’t help that Roselia was continually firing Magical Leaf attacks at Seedot. Unable to take the emotional and physical strain, Seedot fainted.

“It’s probably better this way,” Michael said, upset that Lovrina had pushed the Shadow Pokémon to such extremes. “Go, Ursula! Finish off Luvdisc with Return!” Ursula all but flew from her ball and fell upon the Luvdisc with a vengeance. “Now, Apollo, Confusion on Roselia!” Both attacks connected at the same time, sending both of Lovrina’s Pokémon flying. Roselia struggled to its feet, then slumped, unable to take the strain of the super-effective Psychic attack. Luvdisc just laid on the ground, out cold.

Lovrina stomped angrily and recalled both Pokémon. “Ooh! They’re useless! I knew I should’ve brought my A-team!”

_A-team?!_ Michael wondered. He was having enough trouble with her as it was! And she wasn’t even using her best Pokémon?

“Fine! We’ll just have to do this the hard way!” Lovrina huffed. “Go, Delcatty! Tear them apart!” The Pokémon was sent out, and Michael heard the uncomfortably familiar beeping of the Aura Reader in his ear.

“Be careful!” he called. “This one’s a Shadow Pokémon!” Apollo and Ursula stiffened at the warning. Shadow Pokémon, as they’d learned when fighting the Pokémon of this lab, were incredibly volatile and difficult to combat.

“Shadow Rush that Teddiursa!” Lovrina ordered. The Delcatty rushed forward, its aura thickening to the point where the Pokémon was almost completely smothered in shadowy flames.

“Metal Claw and Confusion!” Michael called. _Can’t afford to go easy on this one…_

The Confusion hit before the Delcatty could reach Ursula, but it hardly seemed to even register the attack. Ursula swung metal-hard claws as it approached, but Delcatty wove around the attack and slammed into Ursula, knocking her to the ground. Delcatty pinned Ursula to the ground, hissing.

“Excellent!” Lovrina laughed. “Now finish the job!”

Before Michael or Apollo could react, Delcatty was tearing into Ursula, its claws lethally sharp and digging deeper with every pass. Ursula screamed as she was ripped open. Blood spattered on the lab’s tiles.

“Stop it! Confusion!” Michael cried. Apollo hit Delcatty with its hardest Confusion attack, but once again, the Delcatty just shrugged off the attack, as if it didn’t even register the damage the Confusion had caused, and continued mauling Ursula, adding teeth to the mix to target Ursula’s ears and eyes.

“Tackle attack!” Michael called in desperation. Apollo charged the Shadow Delcatty and slammed into it, knocking it off the shredded Ursula. Michael wasted no time in setting Ursula’s Pokéball to stasis mode – where a badly injured Pokémon in the ball would be held in limbo, unaware of the outside world – and recalling her with a beam of blue light.

Lovrina cackled. “That’s _so_ more like it! Delcatty, do the same thing to that Espeon!”

“NO!” Michael cried. He did the only thing he could do to prevent Apollo from suffering the same fate as Ursula: he grabbed a ball from his bag, slotted it into the Snag Machine’s glove, and threw it at the Delcatty as soon as it was ready.

Delcatty was captured by the glowing hand mid-charge at Apollo. Michael dimly noted that he’d thrown the Great Ball he’d taken from Cipher’s storage facility. The ball shook… and shook… and shook… and stilled.

Lovrina screamed. “Ooh, you nasty boy! You’ll _so_ regret snagging my Pokémon!”

“You should _so_ regret attacking Ursula like you did!” Michael roared in response, shaking from adrenaline and anger.

Lovrina huffed and crossed her arms. “Whatever. I _so_ hate to say this! But little boy, I can’t beat you right now. Master Greevil will be _so_ cross with me, but… But that’s okay. I’ll let you owe me this one time. You are _so_ lucky our boss just left. Otherwise you’d know the true meaning of pain!” Lovrina snarled, no longer trying to be cute. “Let’s go, Tekot!” She strode towards the elevator. Halfway there, she turned back toward Michael and smirked. “You know, I am _so_ not good at letting people owe me. I think I’ll take my payment now!” She whipped her hand from behind her. Michael barely had time to register the gun before she fired.

Michael went down hard, a searing pain in his side. He heard Krane shout and Apollo snarl. Then there was the bang of someone meeting the wall and a gasp from Lovrina. Michael clutched at his side, heart hammering, and looked up. Would Lovrina shoot at him again?

She was picking herself up from where she’d somehow crumpled against the wall. The gun was out of her hands and on the floor, out of everyone’s reach. Lovrina was pale, but she looked amused by something. Without saying a word, she boarded the elevator.

“L-Lovrina!” Tekot cried, hurrying to join her. Michael saw something fall out of his lab coat as he ran.

“Michael!” Krane kneeled beside him, wincing. Krane’s ribs were giving him some trouble from the beating he’d taken. “Let me see.” Michael peeled bloody fingers away from his side. He glanced down and saw a bloody tear in his shirt and a thin, deep scrape. He hissed as Krane prodded the wound. Meanwhile, Apollo hovered near him, looking lost and scared.

“I think it’s just a graze,” Krane concluded. Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “Still, we need to get to a hospital. Can you stand?”

“I think so,” Michael said before he struggled to his feet, his wound throbbing bitterly.

“Okay, then. I’ll just grab this…” Krane picked up whatever the scientist had dropped. “A flashdrive! This may be something important. We’ll take it back and analyze it. Come on.”

The three boarded the elevator and returned to the main floor. Outside, the sun was setting and the Hexagon Brothers were gone. Michael’s return to his scooter took longer than his departure to the lab; he limped the whole way. Once he unlocked the scooter, he let Krane take the controls up front, recalled a strangely silent Apollo, and climbed onto the back of the scooter. By now, his side was soaked with blood, but the bleeding seemed to be slowing.

Krane was driving well into the night before the pair made it back to Agate Village. There was a commotion as they approached the gates, the residents recognizing the kidnapped Professor Krane. Michael hurried as fast as his side would allow to the Pokémon Center, Krane on his heels. He gave Ursula’s Pokéball to the resident Nurse Heather.

“Please look at Ursula first. She’s in worse shape,” Michael pleaded when the nurse attempted to tend to his wound. Nurse Heather frowned and checked the Teddiursa’s condition with a machine. Eyes widening as she took in how dire Ursula’s condition was, she nodded to Michael and ordered an assistant to give both Michael and Krane thorough check-overs while she worked on Ursula.

Michael heard Krane calling the HQ Lab while his wound was being bandaged and his jaw, still sore from Resix’s punch, iced. Afterwards, he was directed to a human-sized bed and told to get some rest. And while he wanted to wait until he heard news on Ursula and talk with the oddly quiet Apollo, he found himself drifting to an exhausted sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> I promise, it will get much more difficult for Michael before he’s able to beat Cipher! Especially the snags, those will get much tougher as time passes. The lab was just filled with baby Pokémon, and this early in the game, it’s hard to lose. (Except to Lovrina if you don’t have Mareep in your party. Ugh, she was hard to beat with the Pokémon in Michael’s party for the lab.)
> 
> Ugh, writing the battles with the Hexagon Brothers took a while. I was thinking out only writing out one battle, but then one became two, and two became three, and three became six. I hope each of them came out unique. Six battles in a row is tough! I don’t think I’ll be doing it again, not even in the colosseum battles.


End file.
